Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed
by Catalyna Christopher
Summary: Turning my back on everything I had ever known...but I had to do this, if only for the only friends I ever had...There's no turning back now. One-sided KadajxOC, eventual CloudxOC. Takes place during Advent Children.
1. Prologue: In Pursuit

Alright, now that I've finally got a working laptop again, it's time to get cracking on one of my new fanfiction projects. I wrote this FOREVER ago and now I'm finally able to type it out! (The whole thing is in like two notebooks XD) And now I'm uploading it for you guys! Hope you enjoy it!

**Unclouded (Sequel to Unarmed)**

**Prologue: In Pursuit**

* * *

_"Tell me what you cherish most."_

_ …_

Now I have to admit, who would have ever thought, when all this started, that I'd end up getting involved so deeply in this whole struggle to save the Planet?

Not me, that's for sure.

…You're probably wondering what I'm talking about exactly. (A/N: If you haven't read my prequel to this story anyway…lol) Well, it's probably one of, if not the most famous video game—No, wait, so-called "video game storylines" of all time.

Now I know that probably sounds completely insane, not to mention unbelievable.

Hell, I'm still not sure if I even believe it myself.

But somehow me—and my best friend—got involved with the world of Final Fantasy VII…

…Or should I say we got involved with the characters? Oh well, it doesn't matter; all I know is, I sure as hell didn't know how far this whole affair would go.

…It's definitely not exactly what I had in mind when I agreed to come here. Especially not what I expected when we first found Cloud in that Gamestop that day.

…But I couldn't just leave two of my closest friends to fend for themselves, could I? Especially after what my best friend Lindsey had told me before she left…

_***flashback***_

"You know you shouldn't do this."

"I don't care, I'm going after him." Lindsey started towards the front door, car keys firmly in hand and fully determined to follow after Kadaj. I quickly stepped in front of her. "Dude, what are you doing? Get outta my way," she demanded, trying to push past me. I stood my ground, not letting her through to the doorway.

"Are you freakin' crazy? You heard what Cloud said; he's a Sephiroth-clone. Sephi-roth-clone! You know what that means! You go after him and you'll REALLY screw yourself over. You could end up dead." She pushed past me.

"I don't care! I'm going and that's that! ," she yelled, throwing open the car door after stomping her way to the vehicle. She swung into the front seat, slamming the car door behind her. I ran up to the vehicle, putting my hands on the edges of the rolled-down car window.

"You're crazy if you do this! Why would you throw everything away? For something this insane?! It's just not you, dude, " I reasoned, slamming a palm on the car window edge.

She looked directly at me as she spoke again, a pleading and desperate look on her face.

"I'm sorry Christina, but…I-I love him!"

My eyes went wide with shock.

I had known for a while that she had had a crush on him, but…_ Love? Really? I mean, they hadn't known each other THAT long, but_…

She glared slightly at me as she continued, "You of all people should understand." I swallowed hard, looking down at the gravel in the driveway, feeling my face heat slightly.

I know, I really hadn't known him in the flesh that long, but…she was right. I knew exactly what, or should I say who, she meant.

Cloud Strife, the spiky-headed hero of Final Fantasy VII, my personal favorite video game character of all time.

Who I happened to be completely and totally in love with.

…Now don't get me wrong, I know I sound like a TOTAL fangirl, but…that hardly matters to me.

_After all, no fangirl in the world knew the blonde-haired warrior like I did…_

I felt the car jerk forward suddenly, pulling me from my thoughts. "Dammit…..Lindsey, wait!, " I yelled as I watched her pull out the driveway, heading down the road.

_Sonofvabitch, _I thought, kicking the ground in frustration. Gravel flew across the yard.

"She really went after him, didn't she…" I heard Cloud sigh as he came out from the house. I shook my head.

"Unfortunately." I put a hand to my head, sighing heavily, _for heaven's sake…I can't believe she pulled that one on me! She must be serious…but still…I should have stopped her…_

"Don't," Cloud told me sternly. I turned toward him; he was facing the edge of the driveway. "I don't think…you could have stopped her from going after him. So don't worry about it."

My eyes widened slightly. _Damn…is he trying to make me feel better…? Was my guilt that obvious? _I shook my head again. "Either way, I gotta go after her. Can't let my best friend do something so stupid without trying to stop 'em, at least." He chuckled slightly, turning back to the house.

"…Somehow I knew you'd say that." He walked forward to open the front door, turning back to look at me. "But there's no way you're going." And with that he went inside, the glass door shutting quietly behind him. My eyes widened again, then I ran back inside the house, following Cloud to the stairs.

"What?! Of course I'm going! ," I shouted after him. He stopped in his tracks, turning back to me once more, a worried look in his eyes.

"I couldn't…can't let you do that. It's way too dangerous and you know that. I couldn't let you…" He trailed off when he noticed me glaring fiercely at him.

"I don't care. Like I said, I have to at least try and change her mind." He shook his head, then turned away from me to head upstairs.

"No. It's too dangerous." He started up the stairs before I grabbed his arm slightly, causing him to stop and turn back to me, an unreadable look in his eyes.

"Please Cloud, you have to help me save my friend. I'm begging you." He studied me for a long moment before sighing.

"It's gonna be dangerous."

"I know."

"And you know you may not come back here." Though I admit that DID scare me a bit, I wasn't about to let that deter me. Not when my best friend needed my help.

"…Yeah." He shook his head a bit at my answer, then chuckled slightly.

"Then you know there's no way in hell I could let you go alone." I blinked, slightly stunned, then grinned slightly.

"I figured as much." He turned back and headed up the stairs, grinning a bit as well.

"Then we're gonna have to get you some weapons."

_**(Still flashback) *One week later***_

I set my music player down by my small bag, tying it on the back of the motorcycle Cloud had gotten a couple of days earlier. I leaned away from the bike, hands on my hips as I stared at the huge hunk of metal.

When we went to pick out my weapons (which he insisted I have; he didn't want me going without being able to defend myself…mainly because he didn't think he could protect me. I knew better than that but I didn't argue), the motorcycle caught his eye…and five days later, after sneaking my 'emergency' credit card out from under my nose, he came home with the thing, a giddy grin spread across his face. Somehow, despite how much money that thing had cost, I couldn't be mad after seeing him smile like that…

But I will admit I almost freaked when I saw it. _God knows my father didn't set up that emergency account for THIS…_ And, to be honest, I was kinda nervous about riding on a motorbike. Cloud, however, reassured me that riding it would be fine, saying he "had experience with motorcycles"…

_Then again… _

I shook my head firmly, trying not to let fear get the better of me. _He wouldn't do anything to endanger us, I'm sure of that much._

"You got everything?, " I heard Cloud ask as he came up behind me. Spinning on my heel, I turned to face him.

"Let's see…pistol, check…extra ammo, check…sword, check…yup, I'm set," I informed him, patting each item in turn. He nodded, walking up to the bike.

"Alright…" He opened the side of the motorbike, revealing a set of larger-than-life swords. Apparently he had had that part constructed onto the motorcycle specifically for the purpose of holding weapons. He picked up one and studied it for a second.

…Then he spun around suddenly and swung the humongous sword at me. I quickly parried with my own; our swords locked for a moment, each of us glaring the other down.

After a few moments he grinned at me, then let his sword drop to his side. I relaxed, sheathing my sword and grinning as well.

"I'm thoroughly impressed," he informed me, putting his blade back in the holster on the bike, closing up the sides. My smile widened significantly.

"Really?! Ah, I-I mean…," I stammered, slightly embarrassed at my ecstatic outburst. He blinked once, then laughed.

"Yeah, you've learned a good bit in the past week. I'm honestly impressed with how fast you picked up swordsmanship." I shook my head and laughed as well.

"Well, I had a great teacher," I told him, grinning broadly. He looked away, clearing his throat a bit as his cheeks reddened slightly.

"Y-yeah, well, a-anyway…" He turned back toward the bike. "We really should get going," he concluded, pulling out a pair of sunglasses (A/N: Yeah, you know what sunglasses I mean; those things are BADASS! XD) and putting them on. I nodded.

"Yeah, you're probably right," I agreed, walking up and grabbing my music player off my bag, placing the headphone cord around my neck. He swung a leg over the bike; I quickly sat behind him. After a moment he looked back over his shoulder at me.

"Are you sure…you want to do this? You know…you may not ever come back here." I looked around at the surroundings for a minute, taking in the familiar sights…

…For what could be the last time.

Honestly, I didn't want to believe that it may be the last time I'd ever see my home, but…I couldn't let Cloud go alone after Kadaj and Lindsey.

…Regardless if I I had to abandon my whole world to do it.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Let's go," I told him firmly. He nodded, turning forward once more and starting the engine. I wrapped my arms around his waist as he nudged back the kick stand. Suddenly the bike lurched forward, causing me to grab onto him for dear life. He stopped it again, laughing heartily at my slight panic attack. I glared at the back of his head. "Very funny Strife."

"Sorry, I just couldn't resist…," he said, still laughing. I smacked his shoulder slightly. "Ow…ha, ha, sorry," he apologized. I stuck my tongue out at him, trying not to laugh.

"Uh-huh, whatever," I stated, amused, "we should go now." He nodded again, then slowly started the bike forward, running it to the edge of the driveway. I rested my head against his back as he turned onto the road, watching as the world started to fly past me at high speed. I closed my eyes, letting the ride take me off to dreamland.

_Besides, my entire world's sitting right in front of me…_

_***end flashback***_

And even now, as I watch this fierce clash between two of the most well-known characters in video game history, I still don't regret that decision, but…

Hmm…somehow it always seemed right…

_***flashback, two months earlier***_

I woke up a couple hours later to Cloud shaking my shoulder. "Where are we?," I asked, rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"Not sure," Cloud answered, "but I think we found a clue." He held up my laptop, presenting the screen to me.

"Oh, the GPS," I stated simply, grabbing the laptop from him. It really wasn't that hard to pick up Kadaj and Lindsey's trail. Really, all we had to do was link up to her car's GPS signal (thank GOD her parents had installed that thing!) and follow it using my computer.

It worked better than either of us had hoped. It had, apparently, taken us through a large portal-like thing, according to Cloud. "You sure…this is the right place?," I asked, my eyes still on the laptop screen. Cloud tapped me on the shoulder, causing me to look up at him. He pointed in front of us, where a very familiar vehicle was parked.

Lindsey's car.

I shut my laptop after shutting it down, hopping off the motorbike and standing beside Cloud. "I can't believe she just left it behind…" Cloud walked up to the vehicle, peering through the driver's side window.

"Hm…doesn't look like she left anything behind in the car. And the doors, they're unlocked," he commented, pulling on the door handle to demonstrate. I crossed my arms, tilting my head to the side.

"So does that mean…that she caught up to Kadaj?" He nodded.

"Most likely." I hmm-ed for a second, walking over and leaning against her car.

"Then do you think he let her follow after him?," I asked, looking towards Cloud, who blinked before looking away.

"…Probably." I nodded slowly, turning my gaze to the ground.

"Oh." _I just hope he doesn't do anything stupid, like with Jenova cells or something…,_I thought somberly. A moment later I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Don't worry, I promise you we'll save your friend," Cloud said with determination. I looked at his hand on my shoulder, then up at him, giving him a reassuring smile.

"Of course! Who do you think you're talking to; I've saved the world multiple times, I'll have you know," I informed him, shaking a finger in his face. He chuckled, walking back to the bike.

"In video games you mean."

"Hey, it still counts!"

"I suppose it accounts for something," he retorted, still chuckling. I blew a raspberry at him.

"Whatever," I concluded, grinning slightly. I noticed then that Cloud was getting something off the bike. "What are you doing?," I asked, watching as he pulled out a hose and a gas can.

He gave me a look. "What does it look like? I'm siphoning her gas tank." My eyes went wide.

_Holy crap…now THAT's something I never thought I'd hear him say…_

* * *

Hope you guys enjoyed the prologue chapter! Please leave a review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	2. Chapter 1:Armed and At The Ready

Well, I have to admit, this chapter is one of my favorite things I've ever written. Hopefully it will be as good as the scene I took it from in the movie. I won't keep you in suspense any longer, so let's go!

(A/N: This chapter takes place about two months after the events in the last chapter. Since then, Denzel has been found in the Sector 5 Slums, Cloud is now living at the church in the Slums and Christina is staying with Tifa, Marlene, and Denzel. I will explain exactly what happened as to why things are the way they are. Just try and be patient with me until then, dear readers.)

**Unclouded (Sequel to Unarmed)**

**Chapter One: Armed and At The Ready**

* * *

_The Lifestream._

_ That's what we call the river of life that circles the Planet._

_ Giving life to the world, and everything in it._

_ The Shinra Electric Power Company discovered a way to use the Lifestream as an energy source. Because of Shinra's energy, we were able to live very comfortable lives._

_ But wasn't that because we were taking away from the Planet's life?_

_ A lot of people thought so._

_ Shinra used their power to try and stop anybody who got in their way._

_ Shinra had a special group of warriors called SOLDIER, and all of the SOLDIERs had Jenova cells put inside them._

_ Jenova was a calamity that fell from the sky a long, long time ago, and tried to destroy the Planet. _

_ Anyway, there was one SOLDIER named Sephiroth, who was better than the rest._

_ But when he found out about the terrible experiments that made him…he began to hate Shinra._

_ And then, over time, he began to hate everything._

_ Shinra, and the people against them._

_ Sephiroth, who hated the Planet so much, he wanted to make it go away._

_ And the people who tried to stop him._

_ There were a lot of battles. For every battle, there was more sadness. _

_ Someone I love went back to the Lifestream too._

_ And then, __it__ came. The Chosen Day. _

_ In the end, the Planet itself had to make the battles stop for good. The Planet used the Lifestream as a weapon, and when it burst out of the earth…all the fighting…all the greed and sadness…_

_ Everything was washed away. Sadness was the price to see it end._

It's been two months since they told me that story. A story I had already known well…

But had only just now started to realize the impact of it all.

* * *

_But, it looks like…the Planet is a lot madder than we thought._

I sat by Denzel's bedside next to Marlene, watching as the wet cloth we had placed on his forehead fell to the side, revealing a dark (what appeared to be) stain on his forehead.

They call it Geostigma.

That's what Marlene and Tifa had told me.

"Well? How does it look?" A strained voice, Denzel's, interrupted my thoughts. I smiled softly at him, as did Marlene as she picked up the cloth from where it had fallen, placing it back on his forehead. I stood up and stretched, then walked over to the window, looking up at the sky.

_Please…I'm begging you…don't take Denzel away… _

I shook my head slightly at the silent prayer. _Since when did I believe in prayers?, _I thought. _Maybe I really am losing it… _I was pulled from my musings once more by a tug on my sleeve.

Turning, I saw Marlene looking up at me, a pleading look in her eyes. I nodded once at her before heading for the doorway, grabbing my pistol off the top of the dresser as I walked out.

"I'm going out for a while," I informed Tifa, who gave me a friendly smile. I chuckled at her. "And tell your dear Reno I say hi," I teased, causing her to roll her eyes at me and laugh as I walked out.

And I knew Tifa knew exactly where I was heading.

_I have to get Cloud to come back here. I just have to._

Fortunately, I knew exactly where Cloud was. Taking a quick ride from the bus that traveled around Edge, I made my way to the lands that surrounded what was left of Midgar.

Sure enough, I spotted that familiar blonde hair and the sturdy bike just a few miles from the exit of Edge.

"Cloud!," I called out to him, then put my hands on my knees and leaned over slightly, breathing heavily from the miles I had put behind me on foot. He turned and stared at me for a moment before he pushed Fenrir over to me, putting the kickstand down.

Now I know this might seem a little strange, me meeting Cloud out in the middle of nowhere. But besides the church in the ruined Sector 5 Slums, this was the only place I knew for sure he'd be. He hardly ever came into Edge anymore.

Because unfortunately for him, Cloud's past had come back to haunt him all over again.

Finding Denzel in the slums—and finding out that he was an unlucky victim of the 'Sector 7 Pillar' accident—had really shaken him. Then…when we discovered Denzel had the stigma…that had been bad as well.

But what had broken Cloud…was finding out that he had gotten Geostigma as well.

He had been trying ridiculously hard to find a cure for Denzel when he contracted it himself.

And he left the day he realized it, not telling anyone why. I hadn't mentioned it to him yet, but it was completely obvious to me that he had the stigma. I will admit it did irk me a bit that he hadn't told me, but I tried my best not to let it show. I knew he was only trying to protect us, after all.

_Not that I think that was the best way to do it…but…God, I can only imagine how helpless that made him feel, _I mused painfully to myself as he walked up to me.

"What…are you doing here?," he questioned.

I shook my head. "Out here trying to find you. Apparently Reno called again. Said something about having a job for you to take." That was the only reason Reno called anymore, besides to talk/flirt with Tifa.

He gave me a stern look. "That's not the only reason…you're out here, is it." I looked down, nudging the ground with the toe of my shoe.

"Cloud…how have you been?," I asked cautiously.

He ignored my question. "Reno's in Healin, right?" I nodded. He swung a leg over the motorbike. "Get on," he commanded, "but…keep your eyes peeled. Something's…just not right out here today." I got on behind him, cringing mentally at his words as he sped off. He was right though; something DID feel off, like…

_Like somebody's watching you._

I shook my head fervently, _stop being so paranoid. Besides, you're fine, Cloud's with you, after all…-_

My thoughts were shattered by two motors sounding behind us. I chanced a look over my shoulder to see two motorbikes, driven by two guys—_with silver hair?! Aw shit, this is NOT good, _I thought, reaching for my fully-loaded pistol and pulling it out, releasing the safety. Several black monsters approached us—I assumed the two bozos following us had summoned them.

I felt the bike slow slightly as Cloud opened the two sides of Fenrir, pulling a sword out as he spun the bike into a 180. He started taking the creatures out one by one as I started firing, hoping to hit the two guys that were pursuing us.

Cloud spun the bike around again, heading in our original direction as the two silver haired men pulled up to us, matching our pace.

"Where's Mother?," the shorter haired one demanded, before readying his weapon and swiping at Cloud. Fortunately he missed, but it sent the bike swerving dramatically, forcing me to grab onto Cloud with one hand as he righted the bike, the longer haired one still firing his gunblade at us.

"We know you hid her, Brother," he stated as he continued firing, Cloud blocking every one of his shots. I continued firing at the black monsters that were attacking us, only one thought coming to mind.

_Who the hell ARE these guys?_

Cloud swiped at the longer haired one with his sword, missing and causing the bike to swerve heavily once again. The swerving got even worse when Cloud sideswiped a boulder, and he tried his best to straighten it out, shots still ringing out from the long haired guy's gunblade.

We stayed in a dance between the three of the bikes before Cloud sideswiped another rock. The shorter haired guy suddenly pulled in front of us, causing Fenrir to fly over his own bike. I heard Cloud grunt as the wheel hit the ground once more, shaking us both. Cloud quickly straightened the bike and tried to hit him, failing once again as their weapons clashed; right as Cloud pulled back I heard him wince significantly.

_Gotta be his stigma acting up again…_

I didn't have time for contemplation as the shorter haired one's weapon locked with Cloud's sword again, catching it and hurling it away. I watched it fly in the air for a moment when I heard Cloud shout, "Get DOWN!" I quickly ducked behind him.

I heard a shot ring out, followed by a quick gasp from Cloud. I looked up to see Cloud's sunglasses flying; the bullet had hit and ricocheted off of his glasses and, thankfully, not hit him. I breathed a quick sigh of relief.

Unfortunately that relief was short-lived.

I looked behind us as Cloud straightened the bike once more, revving the engine to go faster. There was a herd of the shadow monsters heading towards us; I fired a couple more shots before my pistol let out a loud click, telling me I was out of ammunition. _Shit,_ I thought, throwing my other arm around Cloud's waist and holding on for dear life.

They quickly caught up to us, and swarming all jumped at us at once. I shut my eyes, steeling myself against Cloud, waiting for the impact…

…Which, strangely enough, never came.

I heard a small sound of surprise from Cloud, and I opened my eyes quickly, looking around.

The Shadow Creepers had disappeared, as quickly as they had been summoned.

The two pursuers turned tail and headed in the opposite direction; Cloud and I watched them ride away before he turned the bike, bringing it to a stop.

We both looked up at the cliff overlooking where we were, seeing two familiar faces looking down at us.

One of which was Kadaj.

The other being Lindsey.

Cloud and I just stared at them as Kadaj smirked, then turned, hopped on his bike with my (now former) best friend, and drove off.

After a few moments, I placed my pistol back into its holster. "That was them, wasn't it," I stated. Cloud nodded, turning back to the bike controls and starting us off in a different direction. "Where are we going?," I asked curiously.

"Got to get my sword, then we're going to pay Reno a visit," he called over his shoulder. "Things just got interesting," he added in a low voice.

_Interesting indeed._

* * *

Whew! Another chapter done!

Now before you diehard FF7 fans swarm me saying "I copied the dialogue" yes I will admit that I did. But there are some parts that I will be cutting and changing, and I know I don't own anything from the movie. I'm just using it for my story. That's it. I do NOT claim ownership of the dialogue that I used from the movie. Please don't kill meh *hides in fallout shelter*

Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	3. Chapter 2:Getting Information

I really hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I'm enjoying writing it! I'm not gonna take too much of your time with the author's note today, so let's mosey (XD) onto the chapter.

**Unclouded (Sequel to Unarmed)**

**Chapter Two: Getting Information**

* * *

"_What up, fool? It's Barret. I am the man. Oil, Cloud! I just found the biggest damn oil field you've ever seen…" _Barret's voice continued on the voicemail message of Cloud's phone. I shook my head in amusement.

"He never changes, does he?," I asked Cloud over Barret's message. He chuckled slightly.

"Nope, same old Barret," he agreed, pressing the button to delete the message. I let out a slight laugh before I pulled out my own phone, noticing that I had a voicemail as well. _Who could that be…?, _I wondered to myself as I checked it; my eyes looking off into the distance flashing by as we rode. My eyes widened a bit.

I felt Cloud's gaze on me as he glanced back over his shoulder at me, then back to the road ahead. "Something wrong?," he questioned. I shook my head.

"No, it was Reno…he says to hurry…and he sounded kind of strange…I think we should be careful." He chuckled lightly at my concern.

"Scared of a former Turk, are you?" I blinked at him, shocked, before swatting his shoulder lightly.

"Pfft, don't be ridiculous. Tifa's got him whipped anyway; she'd kill him if he hurt us," I informed him, laughing as I did so. Cloud laughed as well.

"Isn't that the damn truth." I chuckled, slightly happy that he actually seemed in a better mood.

"They do make a good couple though." Cloud nodded slightly.

"Yeah, I think so too. Though they're not really alike at all…guess it's the opposites attract sort of thing, or something." I nodded as well, suddenly slightly bothered at the feeling I had.

"Yeah…Cloud?"

"Mm?" I looked away as Cloud pulled up to the Healin Lodge, nudging the kickstand down and turning off the engine as he got off. "What's wrong?" I shook my head.

"It's nothing really, I was just wondering…does it…bother you that they're together? Tifa and Reno, I mean." He blinked at me, then put a hand to his chin in thought.

"Not really…I mean, I had a crush on Tifa when we were younger but…I think that I think of her more as a sister. I just don't see her that way I guess," he concluded, shrugging. I nodded.

"Yeah, I get that 'big sister' vibe from Tifa too," I told him, smiling and hopping off the bike as I did so. Cloud then opened the sides of his motorbike, pulling out two swords, placing one in the holster on his back and holding the other.

Raising an eyebrow at me, he asked, "Why would you want to know that, anyway?" I shrugged; I mean, I knew why, but…_there's no way I'm saying it. Not now, that's for sure. _He shook his head at me and chuckled. "You're so weird sometimes." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Yeah, yeah…let's go talk to Reno already." He nodded, then turned and started up the ramp to the building in front of us, me not far behind him.

When he got to the door, he held out a hand, motioning for me to stay right behind him, to which I readily agreed, stepping right behind him. _Last thing I wanna do is get zapped by Reno's 'electromag rod'…_

Cloud threw open the door, swinging his sword as Reno swung his rod, the two weapons clanging against each other. I heard Reno let out a slightly aggravated grunt, then suddenly I felt Cloud pull me through the doorway, Reno flying past me with a yell. When he regained his footing, he charged at the door…

…Which was quickly slammed in his face by Cloud. I snickered quietly. _Pfft, wooow…,_I thought in amusement. After a few seconds, the door opened again.

"Okay, so you're good…-," Reno began, but was cut off by Cloud once again slamming the door in his face, locking it as well. I had to stifle a laugh.

A few moments later, we hear another door open in the room. Spinning around I saw Rude stepping into the room. He stopped in front of us, glaring a bit at Cloud and I. "Yeah, Rude, looking sharp," I heard Reno yell through the door.

Rude glared at Cloud for a second more before Rude extended what looked to be another electric rod, but didn't get the opportunity to use it; Cloud quickly flashed his sword to point the blade at Rude's face. He stepped back slightly. A voice sounded from the doorway Rude had come through.

"Good…you fight like the SOLDIER you once claimed to be." Cloud and I looked towards the voice; it belonged to a person who had just rolled in on a motorized wheelchair, most of his face and body covered in a white cloth. He came to a stop in front of us, Rude coming to stand behind him. "You haven't lost your touch," the wheelchair-bound person continued. I stared at him for a long moment, not sure who this mystery person was. _I don't remember anyone in a wheelchair from the game…unless I'm missing something…_ I stared at the person for a bit more, then I took a quick breath. _! Wait—No freakin' way…I thought he was dead for sure…but it has to be…_

Suddenly I had a flashback to when Weapon had fired upon Midgar…and the President of Shinra had been in the top office of the Shinra building when it exploded…

"…Rufus Shinra?!," I said in a low voice. Cloud glanced at me before looking back at him. I turned my gaze to Rude. "You guys still work for him? Do I feel sorry for you," I stated bluntly. It made him look away, shifting his feet a bit. Rufus cleared his throat a bit.

"The day of the explosion…" Rufus began, but Cloud quickly cut him off.

"What do you want?" Rufus ignored his question.

"I managed to get out—"

"Who were the guys that attacked us?," Cloud interrupted; once again Cloud's question went unanswered.

"—Before it colla—"

"I'm leaving," Cloud stated, annoyed. His annoyance didn't go unnoticed; Rufus took a deep breath before speaking again.

"We need your assistance Cloud." Cloud's expression soured a bit.

"Not interes-," he began, but Rufus held up a hand to cut him off.

"I acknowledge that Shinra…owes the Planet a lot. It goes without saying that my company and I are the ones who put the world in the sorry state it's in." I rolled my eyes slightly. _No shit Sherlock… _"Therefore, it's our responsibility to set things right."

"I'm still out here…?," I heard Reno say from the door behind us. His words went unheard as Rufus continued.

"As a first step, we have commenced an investigation in Sephiroth's wake. It's been two years. Now that the world is on its feet again, what poses the greatest threat?"

"…Geostigma, obviously," I pointed out. Rufus chuckled slightly.

"Of course. But we have reason to think Sephiroth is the one responsible. The people…they blame Mako energy, and the reactors…even the Lifestream for causing the stigma. However, isn't that blame misplaced? The Lifestream has existed as long as the Planet, and even Mako energy has been a part of our lives for over forty years. But…there's no mention of the stigma in recorded history. So what happened during out time to change all that? I can think of only one thing—"

"The arrival of Sephiroth," I stated unquestionably.

_Somehow when I first came to know of Geostigma…I thought it might have been Sephiroth's handiwork…Hearing the President of Shinra say the same thing only confirms it. _Cloud's voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts.

"Sephiroth is dead," he snapped. I could tell that just hearing his name had aggravated Cloud, and with good reason. I didn't get the chance to say anything about it before Rufus spoke again.

"Yes, but has his mind died?," he insisted. "What if he somehow dissolved into the Lifestream, coursing through the Planet undiffused?" Cloud's eyes widened slightly, as did mine. I glanced at Cloud; his face had a slightly shocked look. _Could…could he really do that? Is it even possible?, _I wondered as I turned my gaze back to Rufus. "I know it is merely speculation…but it is possible, isn't it? And we can't cure the stigma until we know the truth."

"So you took action I assume," I wondered aloud. Rufus nodded slightly.

"We went to look for traces of Sephiroth…do you know where?"

"Yup, at the Northern Cave," Reno's voice chimed in again.

"And what do you think we found?" Cloud looked up at Rufus, a worried look in his eyes. "Relax," Rufus continued, "we didn't find anything. However…not all went as planned. We were…interrupted."

"By the same three who attacked us, I'd bet." Rufus nodded again.

"Kadaj and his gang." Cloud and I shared a glance.

"Kadaj…" Cloud trailed off.

"I would say they'll be after you as well, but based on what you've said, they've already found you," Rufus stated. Cloud shook his head slightly.

"Leave me out of this."

"How? Your ties to Sephiroth run as deep as ours do, Cloud. If Kadaj's purpose is to do what's necessary to prepare for the moment, we stand in the way as his greatest threat." Cloud looked back up at Rufus.

_Moment?,_ I thought for a second before the realization hit me.

"Sephiroth…reborn…that's it, isn't it…," I stated, slightly stunned (and scared).

"That's correct," Rufus nodded as he spoke.

"Are you done talking?," Cloud snapped at Rufus. Clearly he did not like where this conversation was leading, and, to be honest, neither did I.

"Let's get to the task at hand. In order to combat Kadaj, we need someone with your expertise. Won't you join us? You're an ex-SOLDIER, Cloud." Cloud let out a dry chuckle.

"In my head," he stated ironically as he turned to the door behind us, unlocking it and starting to pull it open. I quickly placed a hand on the handle, giving Cloud a quick glance before turning back to Rufus.

"What's this stuff about "Mother"?," I asked simply.

"Why? Did Kadaj mention something?," he questioned in a joking voice. Cloud turned slightly back towards Rufus.

"Rufus, if you're hiding something…-"

"I'd never keep a secret, not from a comrade." I snorted slightly at his tone. "You must want to learn all you can about the stigma? Naturally, for the sake of those orphans you live with." I saw Cloud's expression change a bit. "Surely, you long to see the smiles return to their faces?" _You miserable sonofva…that's low…, _I thought inwardly.

"All we want in the end is to rebuild our world, Cloud," he stated, raising a hand off the arm of his wheelchair. Cloud turned back to face Rufus, a slightly torn look on his face.

"But I…" He trailed off.

"Come on, Cloud," Reno began, "think about it. Together we could rebuild Shinra!" Cloud glanced at him, his eyes suddenly filled with rage. He quickly grabbed my wrist as he turned and stormed out the door, not even bothering to look at Rufus as he threw a "Not interested" at the three former Shinra men, pulling me behind him, and past a shocked Reno.

I heard Rude and Rufus both start to fuss at Reno, who looked at us with a 'what-did-I-do?' look. I gave him a look of sympathy. _Somebody's in trouble…, _I thought as I turned back in Cloud's direction; he was still dragging me by the wrist.

"Cloud…? Are you okay?," I asked cautiously. He stopped walking as we got to his bike, letting go of my wrist and sighing slightly. He didn't say anything as he swung a leg over the bike, motioning for me to get on as well. I did so, my thoughts trailing off to what Rufus had said as he started the motorbike and drove off.

_Orphans affected by Geostigma… _That thought made me think of Denzel almost instantly.

The poor kid had had a rather tough life; both his parents had perished when the Sector Seven Plate had been brought down by Shinra. He had been wandering the remains of Midgar after Meteorfall when he came across Cloud's motorbike in the Sector Five Slums near Aerith's old church. He had tried to use Cloud's cell phone when his stigma started acting up, causing him to pass out from the pain.

That was when we found him.

Tifa told us to bring Denzel to her.

That's how he came to live at Seventh Heaven with Tifa and the others.

_It was just amazing that after what happened to him, we were the ones to find him. That coincidence was uncanny; it almost seems wrong to call it a coincidence, _I thought inwardly, looking at the back of Cloud's head as we rode. _No wonder Tifa had wanted to take Denzel in._

"Sorry I stormed out like that; hope I didn't hurt your arm dragging you like that." Cloud's voice interrupted my thoughts as he apologized loudly, making sure I could hear him over the roar of the engine. I shook my head.

"No, it's alright; they practically provoked you anyway," I yelled back. He chuckled. I looked around and couldn't help but notice Midgar starting to come into view in the distance. "Where are we going?," I asked.

"Something I've got to take care of, then we're heading back to Midgar," he stated.

I wondered what he meant by that something.

* * *

Jeez, what a long chapter, haha. I swear Rufus talks too much lol.

Anyway, hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	4. Chapter 3:You've Got It All Wrong, Buddy

Welcome back to Unnamed my dear readers!

This chapter is shorter than the others I've written so far, but I happen to l-o-v-e LOVE this chapter. You'll see why shortly. XD Let's go!

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Three: You've Got It All Wrong, Buddy**

* * *

A few minutes later, we slowed to a stop on a cliff overlooking the plains surrounding Midgar. Getting off the bike I recognized immediately where we were, mainly because of the Buster Sword that lay on the ground in front of us.

This…was Zack's grave.

Or at least, where he had died, and where Cloud had inherited that very sword, one of the moments that would define him forever.

_ Wow…hard to believe Zack was here only two years ago… _There was no trace that a battle had taken place here, no sign that it was the place of Zack Fair's death other than the sword. Cloud walked over and picked up the huge sword, stabbing it once again into the earth where Zack had perished.

He stood there for a minute in silence before speaking. "I said I'd live out both our lives. …Easy to make that promise," he mused, staring at the sword. I silently walked up to the weapon, kneeling down on one knee in front of it. _Poor Zack…too bad I never got to meet you, _I thought, reaching out and placing a palm on the sword, closing my eyes in an almost prayer.

_"So you wanna be in SOLDIER? Hang in there." _Suddenly as I heard that voice I was seeing memories of Zack, Cloud's I assumed, flash before my eyes.

_"Hey, you doin' okay?"_

_ "Well, what are you gonna do once we get to Midgar?"_

_ "We're friends, right?"_

Suddenly I saw Zack on the very cliff I was on in the pouring rain, lying in his own blood, Cloud slowly crawling towards him.

_There's so much blood…_

_ "My honor…my dreams…they're yours now. You'll be…my living legacy," _I heard Zack's voice say. I watched as Cloud accepted the sword, and he screamed at the rain after Zack's death.

I quickly pulled my hand away from the sword, my eyes blinking furiously. _How…how did I see that…?, _I pondered thoughtfully.

"I swore…that I would never forget." I turned toward Cloud at the sound of his voice. "I tried. But I…" He trailed off, then suddenly winced, his hand quickly grasping his left arm. He started to grunt in pain as he collapsed to his knees.

"Cloud! Cloud are you alright?," I asked, quickly standing and rushing over, kneeling in front of him and placing my hand on his arm. "Cloud," I tried, speaking again.

He looked up slightly, staring at nothing, but his eyes…they were wide and (what appeared to be) catlike eyes. And that really scared me.

Cloud was gasping in pain, still gripping his left arm tightly, the fingers on his left hand digging into the ground beneath it.

Suddenly I heard a voice echo through my head:

_Don't pretend you're sad._ I recognized the voice immediately, though I know I hadn't ever heard it in my life. It was unmistakable.

_Damn you Sephiroth!_

"Cloud…Cloud please…," I pleaded; A million pictures were flying before my eyes, mainly of Kadaj and how he looked so much like Sephiroth…

_Why tremble with anger that' s not even there?_ Suddenly all the pictures stopped. _Face it, Cloud. All you are…is an empty puppet._

_Shut UP!, _I practically yelled through my thoughts at Sephiroth. He chuckled as I realized he could hear me.

_You think I'm wrong; how foolish of you._ I shook my head fiercely.

_No…I KNOW you're wrong. Cloud is Cloud and not even you can change that, Sephiroth. Get out of his head, out of his mind…you don't belong there!_

After a split-second I felt Sephiroth's presence subside, my vision returning to normal. Cloud finally let go of his arm and practically crumpled to the ground, panting harshly from the passing pain. After a second or two of hesitation I reached out to Cloud, gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "Cloud? Are you okay?" He collapsed to the ground, then rolled over onto his back, his eyes closed and still breathing heavily. "Are you alright?," I asked again, leaning over him to look at his face.

He slowly opened his eyes after a moment, looking up at me. "How…did you do that?"

I blinked, then sighed and smiled down at him in relief. "Good, you're okay," I stated, moving to sit by him. He sat up beside me and turned towards me.

"Seriously, how did you do that?" I looked at him in concerned surprise.

"I…I don't…I don't know…," I answered truthfully, looking down and biting my lip.

"…I've never been able to do that, to push his will out like that so easily. And you did it so quickly too…amazing." I looked back over at him; he had a hand to his forehead in thought.

"I don't know how I did it…I just wanted him to leave you alone…" I blew my hair out of my face as I spoke again. "I don't know how I connected with your mind either, but I think…I think the Jenova cells may have had something to do with it." He looked back at me; I shrugged. "That's the only explanation I can think of." He chuckled slightly.

"Well…it's not much of an explanation, but…I appreciate the help all the same," he said, showing a rare smile. I shook my head, smiling back softly.

"No, it was nothing; I'm glad I could help." He shook his head as well.

"It wasn't nothing. That was incredible. Nobody I know could have pushed his will back like that. Give yourself some credit." He looked into the distance. "I probably would have passed out if you hadn't been here." I couldn't help but blush a bit.

"T-thanks, Cloud," I stammered. He laughed.

"No need to get embarrassed; it's the truth. You don't know how glad I am to have you here…even before knowing you could do that, you've been a big help to me…I really do appreciate it," he concluded, looking back at me. I nodded, smiling brightly.

"Of course! I do what I can Cloud." He laughed slightly.

"And you do a great job of it." He plopped back down to lay on his back. "Damn this whole thing…I think I need a minute or two." I nodded, then started to stand up, before his hand grabbed my wrist.

I looked back down with a thoroughly surprised look.

He closed his eyes. "Don't…just…stay here with me for a moment." That made me blush like crazy (thank CHOCOBOS his eyes were closed!), but I couldn't deny him what he was asking. I sat down beside him, looking off into the distance and setting my chin on my knees. A few seconds later, I felt his fingers entwine with mine, and he squeezed my hand gently.

"Thanks…for everything…," he uttered softly. I smiled to myself.

"No problem," I murmured back, closing my eyes and relishing the quiet moment between us.

* * *

*deep breath after a moment of silence*

SQUEEEEEEE! ^.^

I just LOVE the ending to this chapter! It's so damn cute! I really enjoyed the crap out of writing this chapter. I've always wanted to tell Sephy to f*** off, anyway. XD

Anyway, hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Please leave a review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	5. Chapter 4:Dillydallying

I hope you guys enjoyed the last chapter as much as I did! This chapter is where things start to get truly interesting. I'm not going to leave a huge author's note here for today so we can get to the story faster. Let's do this!

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Four: Dilly-Dallying (XD)**

* * *

"So we're going to the church in the slums, right?," I called over the engine as we drove into what was left of Midgar.

"Yeah." I pulled out my cellphone, noticing that I had a new text message. Clicking the button to open it, it read:

_Yo, Reno here. Tifa said to tell you she and Marlene will be waiting at the church, and she said to hurry. Hope you were able to convince Spike to go with ya, if ya get what I'm sayin' ;D_

I rolled my eyes lightly, _Reno, you are just ridiculous sometimes. _

You see, Reno and Tifa were the only ones (besides my former best friend) that knew exactly how I felt about Cloud. And Reno was always trying to push me into telling him how I feel; Tifa did the same thing, though she was a bit more subtle about it. _I swear, at this rate Reno's gonna tell him before I do… _I chuckled lightly at the thought.

"What's up?," Cloud called over his shoulder. I flipped my phone closed, stuffing it back into my pocket.

"Reno texted me; said Tifa and Marlene would be waiting at the church for us." Cloud scoffed.

"How did he know we would be going there…" I shook my head.

"Probably Tifa." He groaned lightly and sighed.

"Why would they want to meet us there?" I shrugged.

"I've got no idea, but Tifa said to hurry." He nodded once. I looked off into the distance at the wreckage that was once Midgar. "Hope everything's okay…," I murmured.

"Well, we're about to find out," Cloud stated as we pulled in front of the church. As soon as the bike came to a stop, I hopped off, bounding towards the front entrance. "Hey, wait up," he called after me. I stopped in my tracks and spun around quickly to face him.

"No way Spikey, you can catch up," I teased, blowing a raspberry at him. He chuckled as he walked up to me.

"I wonder where you get your energy and your nicknames sometimes," he said as he opened the door, pushing it open and holding it long enough for me to go through before closing it behind him. I looked around, not seeing anyone there. "Are you sure…Reno said the church?" I nodded.

"Yeah, that's what he said…could they have left already?...No, they wouldn't do that," I stated firmly. "Unless…" I trailed off as I walked down the main aisle of the church, stopping in my tracks when my eyes landed on the flower bed. "No…no way…," I stammered. Cloud came to stand beside me, a worried look on his face as he looked at me.

"What's wrong?" I slowly raised an arm, pointing a shaky hand towards the flower bed. He followed my gaze to the flower bed, and his eyes widened slightly.

Because Tifa was lying there, completely unconscious.

_No, no no no…she has to be okay…she just has to be!, _I thought as we both rushed over to her. Cloud gently picked her up by the shoulders, making her sit up slightly.

"Tifa!," he called worriedly. She didn't move at all.

"Tifa! Oh come on you've got to be alright…," I begged. Her face contorted in pain a bit before she opened her eyes.

"You're late…," she scolded slightly. I shook my head, feeling myself tear up a bit.

"Don't worry about us, are you okay?," I asked, concerned.

"Who did this?," Cloud asked her, his temper flaring a bit. She shook her head slowly.

"I-I'm alright but…he didn't say…," she uttered painfully. Suddenly she shot up, a worried look on her face. "Marlene!," she called out, before falling back onto Cloud's arm, passing out once again.

"Is…is she okay?," I asked, fully concerned about Tifa.

"I think she'll be alright…but what about Marlene?" I shook my head.

"Dunno…," I wondered aloud as I looked around the church for any sign of her. A few seconds passed before I saw something out of place. "Hey Cloud…?" He looked up at me after setting Tifa down gently on her back.

"Yeah, what is it?" I looked back at him.

"What happened to that huge box of materia that was here?," I asked in a slightly worried voice. His eyes widened, and he looked around quickly, not finding what he was looking for either.

"Damn…," he cursed aloud, looking down as he did so. I placed a hand on his shoulder.

"We'll find her, Cloud, don't worry." He looked up at me and stared at me for a few seconds before nodding. Then suddenly he flinched violently, looking down at his stigma-inflicted arm. My eyes quickly widened in concern. _Not again…not now dammit!_

Cloud grunted in pain as the muscles in his arm and hand froze, his whole arm visibly shaking as bluish ooze began leaking out from his hand. I quickly rushed over to him, placing one hand on his shoulder and the other on his badly trembling arm.

"Cloud, Cloud stay with me, alright?," I tried to reassure him but I wasn't even reassuring myself; the shaking in his arm was getting worse and Cloud was now gasping in pain. I grabbed his hand in my own as the ooze started to drop onto the flowers beneath it. I winced as a pain suddenly shot up my left arm as well, quickly noticing that I was feeling the pain in the same arm as Cloud's stigma.

_How am I…feeling his pain?, _I wondered as I started to feel dizzy. About five seconds later I collapsed sideways, as did Cloud, whose eyes were already shut when I looked over. Suddenly my eyelids felt heavy. _What's…going on…?_

The last thing I remember before I blacked out completely…was a bright white place, with all of us laying there, surrounded by the same kind of flowers that grew in the church.

_It couldn't be…..Aerith…?_

* * *

_***A few hours later, Cloud POV* **_

When I opened my eyes, I instantly winced at the bright light streaming into the room I was in. Looking over through the windows I saw that the sun was setting. _How long_…_was I out?, _I wondered, putting a hand to my head and shaking my head slightly. After a few moments I noticed that someone was beside me, lying on the bed next to the one I was on.

I looked to my right to see Christina unconscious. My eyes widened. _Had she…passed out too? Why? _I moved quickly off the bed I was on and was at her side in seconds, gripping her shoulders. "Wake up…wake up Christina, are you alright? Please, answer me," I asked worriedly as I shook her shoulders lightly.

"Don't worry Cloud, she'll be okay…she just needs to sleep it off, I think." I spun around to see Tifa in the doorway, heavily leaning against Reno, Rude standing on the other side of the doorway.

"You know, you're pretty heavy," Reno joked lightly; Tifa elbowed him in the ribs as Rude spoke.

"Weren't there…some kids living with you?"

"Because they ain't here," Reno concluded. Tifa looked down, clearly worried for Denzel and Marlene. I looked down slowly, once again disappointed with myself.

"You don't care?," Rude said, a harsh tone in his voice. _It's not that I don't care…_

"I just…," I began, but trailed off, looking back towards Christina's sleeping form. _I don't want anyone else to get hurt…I don't want her to get hurt if they're after me…and I…I can't protect them…I can't protect her…_

Reno heaved a long sigh. "You're a real handful," he said, frustrated. Tifa just shook her head as Reno helped her out of the room, Rude walking over him and slamming the door shut behind him. I sighed heavily. _What can I do now…_

_*__**End Cloud POV***_

* * *

_***Two hours later***_

I awoke groggily after a few hours; it had already gotten dark outside, the moon shining through the windows of the room. Cloud was staring out at it when he heard me sit up, walking over and sitting on the bed opposite the one I was on. "Reno and Rude are out looking. Tifa's okay," he informed me. I looked down at my hands. I knew what I needed to do.

I needed to finally confront him.

"…You know I know you have the stigma." I composed my thoughts for a second before I looked over at him and spoke again. "So you're gonna give up and die, is that it?" He didn't speak. I sighed, pulling my knees closer to my chest. "So it is."

"There's no cure and you know that," he stated lifelessly; I looked over at him in surprise.

"Yeah, but that's not stopping Denzel from fighting, is it?" I turned and faced him once more. "Don't run. We can fight it…we can stop it together." I looked down after he didn't answer. "I guess that only works for families or something like that, huh…" I looked back at him as he answered.

"Christina…," he began in a low and depressed voice, "…I'm not fit to help anyone. Not my family…not my friends…," he glanced at me and back down at his hands, "nobody." I blinked for a few seconds before sighing heavily in frustration and looking away.

"Dilly-dally, shilly-shally," I stated simply. He looked over at me again with a surprised look. I shook my head, "Dilly-dally, shilly-shally," I repeated in a firmer tone.

"I think she wants you to move on, man," Reno said from the doorway. We both turned to face him and Rude.

"Did you find them?," I asked.

"No, only a witness…Kadaj's gang took the kids."

"Where are they," Cloud asked sternly.

"They're at their base now," Rude answered, "The Forgotten City." Cloud looked back at me; I nodded before standing up. Cloud stood as well, and we both took off out the door to head after Kadaj.

* * *

Whew, another chapter done. And I've been writing so much today that I think I need a break…NOT! XD

I'll write the next chapter and uploaded it ASAP! Please leave a review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

-Catalyna Christopher


	6. Chapter 5:A Former Friend?

Alright! This chapter has a LOT of action, more than I've ever written in anything before, I think. I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Five: A Former Friend?**

* * *

We made it to the Northern Continent way faster than I had expected; with the new ferries running to Edge and back, travel there had increased dramatically, as did the number of tourists. There was a TON of tourists in the Bone Village when we passed through, much to my distaste. _This place…it just shouldn't be used as a tourist spot…_

Though, truth be told, I was excited to finally get to see the Forgotten City, the city of the Ancients, for the first time. It was a beautiful place, as well as my personal favorite place in the world I was in.

I couldn't stop my eyes from darting back and forth as we passed through the Sleeping Forest. "I can't believe I finally get to see it…," I murmured. Cloud glanced over his shoulder at me but said nothing, turning his attention back to the road. I stared at the back of his head for a second, then sighed in frustration.

"How long are you planning on keeping up the silent treatment?," I asked, just a tad annoyed with him. Cloud stayed quiet for a bit more before shaking his head.

"…sorry." I shook my head firmly.

"You don't have to apologize. You did nothing wrong, Cloud. The kids getting kidnapped was NOT your fault." He sighed a bit.

"But if I had…-" I cut him off with a smack to the head. "OW, geez!...what the hell…"

"No buts, dammit. You can have all the time you want for regrets after we save Denzel and Marlene, alright? Till then, I'll tell you like you told me when you trained me: stay focused and stop worrying." He looked back at me, then back to the road again, chuckling a bit.

"…alright…just don't hit my head again."

"I'm not making any promises on that," I told him, blowing a raspberry at him. My eyes then went wide as I realized where we were. "Wow…" was all I could manage to say. _The trees…they're glowing…!_

There were trees all around us for miles, and every one of them seemed to be glowing with a soft white light. It was quite a sight, one that I drank in eagerly. _This is way cooler than I ever imagined… _I looked back to Cloud, who had grown silent once again. My heart sank a bit. _Too bad it was under such terrible circumstances that we came here…I wish I could help him…_

Suddenly everything started to go white, and before I knew it the motorbike had disappeared from underneath me, beautiful white and yellow flowers appearing beneath my feet. _Aerith…these are Aerith's flowers…_

Sure enough I looked around, and standing back to back with Cloud…

Was Aerith Gainsborough, smiling brightly at me.

…I was sure I looked shocked to see her, but she paid no mind to whatever expression I had, winking at me. I tilted my head to the side, a puzzled look replacing the shocked one on my face. _Aerith…what are you planning?_

She nodded once at me before I heard her voice. _You came,_ she began, clearly referring to Cloud. I saw his head raise in what I imagined to be shock. _Even though you're about to break, hm?,_ she continued, placing a hand on Cloud's stigma-infected arm. He flinched. _That's a good sign,_ she said, removing her hand from his arm and turning back around, facing me once more. _So…why did you come?_

"I think…I wanna be forgiven…more than anything…," Cloud said slowly. Aerith smiled at me, a soft reassuring smile. _Are you trying to tell me…that everything'll be okay? Is that it…? _

_By who?,_ she asked, almost jokingly. Suddenly I heard footsteps behind me.

_Don't you worry, everything'll work out for you two. Don't give up on him yet._ I turned around, getting a split-second look at who had spoken to me before I found myself back on Cloud's motorbike. Cloud and I shared a look of confusion.

_Zack…?, _I wondered thoughtfully. Cloud turned around after a few seconds; I put a hand to my forehead, confused.

_Was that…the Lifestream…?_

Suddenly gunshots rang out ahead of us, startling me out of my thoughts. Cloud raised his head to look, seeing the same infuriating sight as I had.

Kadaj, Yazoo, and Loz, the latter two firing at us.

Cloud pulled two swords out of his bike; I quickly reached for my pistol, grabbing it and releasing the safety as I pulled it out.

Kadaj, however, had a huge grin on his face as he walked toward us, motioning at the trees with one hand and unsheathing his sword with the other.

"Sonofvabitch!," I cursed under my breath as I saw who Kadaj was directing.

The kidnapped kids.

They were jumping from the trees, all of them landing in the path of Fenrir.

And Denzel and Marlene were standing at the head of the pack, she shielding her eyes from the lights of the motorbike, and Denzel scarily still. My eyes widened.

_Kadaj had this planned all along!_

I knew that Cloud must've seen them and realized that too, because he tried his best to swerve to avoid hitting the children. Unfortunately it was too much for the bike to handle; it tilted sideways before it threw both me and Cloud off, both of us crying out in shock and mild pain as we hit the ground after being thrown off the bike. Kadaj jumped over the bike as it spun towards him, Loz eventually stopping it with a heavy foot.

_Oww…sonofva…they are so going to pay for that one, _I thought quickly as I picked myself up and looked around, my eyes landing on the huge group of kids and Kadaj, who had quickly surrounded Cloud. "Shit," I cursed, drawing my sword.

…And just as quickly I felt a blade being held against my neck_. _I balanced myself on one knee, looking to my left, then barked out a quick laugh at who I saw, betrayal and anger quickly flooding my emotions. _Kadaj Is going to pay big time for doing this._

"Enjoying working for your new boy toy, Lindsey?"

* * *

Lindsey frowned at me, not moving the blade. I laughed again. "Not talking, are we? What, has he brainwashed you too? The way he did to those helpless kids?"

"Shut up," she spat harshly, before looking at Kadaj and nodding.

"I'm glad you two could make it," I heard Kadaj begin, watching as he leaned over Cloud menacingly.

"We only came for the kids," Cloud stated angrily. Kadaj ignored him, looking up at the kids and starting to circle Cloud.

"See this man?," he continued, sounding like a cult leader, "He's our big brother. But alas…," his voice dropped in pitch, "…in our happy flock…..he's what you'd call a black sheep," he finished, pointing his sword at Cloud. He then raised his sword to strike Cloud down.

_Dammit, no…! _"Cloud!," I shouted in concern, providing just the distraction he needed; Cloud quickly snatched his sword off the ground as Kadaj looked at me. Kadaj looked back at Cloud just in time to see and dodge Cloud's sword swipe. I watched as Cloud blocked two bullets shot in his direction; he quickly looked up to see Yazoo and Loz were the culprits. Looking towards them I quickly noticed their arms glowing in many spots. _Those bastards even took the materia…!, _I thought angrily as Loz rushed towards Cloud.

"What's wrong? Sad that you can't help your precious Cloud when he's outnumbered?," I heard Lindsey say beside me. I chuckled, looking back at her as I spoke.

"Outnumbered maybe but not outmatched. If I were you…," I told her, gripping the blade she held with one hand, "I'd be more worried about myself!," I shouted, pulling her blade from her and knocking it out of her hands with my own sword, cutting open her hand (by mistake). She stepped back a few steps, holding her right hand in her left, wincing heavily as blood dripped from her hands. "Let me guess…Kadaj didn't teach you a thing about using this, did he?," I asked, holding the blade in question up in front of me, before taking it and hurling it into the trees. She took another step back.

"You…you'll get what's coming to you! The whole world will!," she yelled before running off and disappearing into the trees. _What…what was she talking about…?, _I wondered vaguely. _My best friend…isn't my best friend anymore, _I thought, full of depression and anger at Kadaj.

I looked up from my horrible thoughts as more gunshots in Cloud's direction; I took off running towards the noise. Suddenly I heard Loz yell before seeing pieces of the ground fly in one direction. _Must be an earth materia, _I thought as I spotted Cloud, who was right in the path of the spell Loz had launched. "Cloud, to your left!," I yelled frantically.

Cloud clearly saw it as Yazoo fired more shots at him before flipping over the spell with ease. I watched as Cloud's sword began to glow with a blue flame, and he swung it at the direction of the spell, the blue flame becoming a blade of energy and slicing the earth spell in half, stopping it in its tracks. _Woah…that was a limit break…that was awesome…_

Suddenly Loz appeared in front of Cloud, moving at an almost superhuman pace. _Damn those materia thieves…we're at a disadvantage like this…, _I thought as Loz pushed Cloud back, Yazoo jumping after him and attacking Cloud as well. Cloud defended himself but I could tell he was having difficulty. "Dammit," I cursed aloud, starting to run to where Cloud was to try and help him.

Suddenly a blade stopped me in my tracks. Looking over I saw Kadaj standing there with a grin on his face. "Why don't we have some fun?," he teased.

"Pfft, yeah let me tell you. Get out of my way," I commanded harshly, starting to run towards Cloud. Kadaj stepped in front of me, blocking my path once again.

"Aw now, don't be like that. We used to be friends, remember?" I laughed in his face.

"Friends? You're nothing but Sephiroth's puppet. Now get out of my way!," I demanded with anger, pointing my pistol at him. "Or I'll make you move." He laughed, then disappeared from my vision. I looked around, my temper starting to rise. "Coward, show yourself!," I shouted, turning around and looking for him.

"If I am a puppet, then maybe you should remember…" I heard a voice from behind me. "…your precious Cloud used to be one as well." My eyes went wide as I slowly turned around. I spun around quickly as I pointed my pistol again at Kadaj, squeezing the trigger. He easily blocked my shots with his sword, knocking my pistol out of my hands and to the ground.

I backed up a couple of steps as he stepped towards me. "Where's the cockiness now?," he asked, raising his blade to point at me. I laughed harshly, spinning my blade in my hand.

"Still got plenty, thank you!," I shouted, cartwheeling sideways and jumping to land behind him, swiping my blade at him. He jumped forward but not in time; I felt my blade cut through flesh, I was sure of it. Kadaj looked down at his arm, which was bleeding from a huge gash across the back of it.

He blinked at his injury for a second, then suddenly he threw his head back, laughing hysterically. "You want to get serious?," he asked, looking back at me, a wild and crazed look in his eyes. "Maybe I should too!"

He disappeared again, only to reappear a second later. He did this several times, each time appearing in a different place. _Dammit…I can't tell where he's gonna be next!, _I realized as he appeared behind me, swinging his blade at me this time. His blade clipped my shoulder; it sliced the top part of my shoulder open as I jumped sideways to avoid him. I cried out in pain.

When I landed I fell to one knee, holding my left hand against my wound. It was bleeding badly. Kadaj laughed as he walked up to me. "You shouldn't have challenged me," he said as he pointed his blade at me once more. I spat on the ground in front of me. "I think I should teach you some manners!," he said as he raised his sword; then suddenly he turned away from me, as if he were sensing something, and looked up into the trees. I followed his gaze to see Cloud looking down at us, seeing his eyes widen and his lips moving to form my name as he saw me. With a yell he jumped at Kadaj, not hesitating for a moment.

Cloud swung his sword down on Kadaj, who quickly parried with his own. He stared at Kadaj for a brief moment, recognition and shock passing over his features. My eyes widened as I saw what Cloud saw.

_Sephiroth! He fights just like Sephiroth!_

I watched the two of them exchange blows over and over before Kadaj threw Cloud back unexpectedly. I heard Kadaj chuckle slightly before he brought his sword down to strike Cloud. His sword was stopped, however…

By a quick bullet from out of nowhere.

Suddenly I saw a person descend from the trees, a person who was wearing a red cloak and wielding only a gun. Kadaj landed with one knee on the ground; Cloud fell to the ground as well, looking to be almost unconscious. I pulled myself off of my knees and quickly ran over, my own injury be damned as I tried to help him. The red-dressed man, who I saw had long dark hair and golden claw-like pieces on his left arm, landed in front of Cloud and I, firing shots at Kadaj, who jumped back to avoid the bullets.

The red-cloaked man quickly picked Cloud and I up, jumping back into the trees and away from Kadaj and the others.

* * *

*breathes heavily* What a long chapter! I swear this chapter took me three hours to type out completely! It was totally worth it though; you guys finally got a taste of how my OC fights. I kinda took inspiration from the character Babydoll from the movie Sucker Punch for her fighting style. I love that movie. XD

Anyway, hope you guys all enjoyed this action-filled chapter! Please leave a review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	7. Chapter 6:It's Time to Stop Running

Okay, welcome back to Unnamed my dear readers

This chapter is one of my favorites, and I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Six: It's Time to Stop Running**

* * *

A few moments later the red-dressed man set both me and Cloud down on the ground gently. I looked up at him as he straightened. "You must be…Vincent. Thanks for saving us," I told him; he nodded, turning and walking to a tree, then leaning against it, looking over at me. I looked back down at Cloud, who slowly opened his eyes. "Cloud!," I said in relief, smiling down at him brightly. He blinked slightly.

"…Christina…? Oh god, you're bleeding!," he said worriedly, sitting up quickly and looking at my bleeding arm. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you anymore than this? I'm sorry I—"

"Cloud!," I exclaimed, jumping onto him and hugging him tightly. "I'm so glad you're okay Cloud," I stated, sniffling a bit. He gently pulled me away from him after a moment, wiping one of my eyes gently.

"Forget about me, are you alright? That looks painful," he asked, gently turning me to get a better look at my injury. I looked down at it.

"I'm fine, it just stings a bit is all…," I reassured him. The hiss of pain that escaped my lips after he touched it lightly, however, said otherwise.

Suddenly a little green ball landed in front of Cloud with a dull thunk. We both looked over to see Vincent, who had not moved from his spot. He nodded at the ball. "You should get that cut healed," he said as Cloud picked up what I recognized as a materia. I blinked as Cloud put it into a gauntlet that he had seemingly pulled from out of nowhere, placing it on his arm and holding that hand over the place where my shoulder was sliced open. I watched as the materia began to glow, then suddenly the pain in my arm lessened. After a few moments my cut had closed completely. _That's__ how they use materia…, _I thought in amazement.

"See. I knew I'd be no help…," Cloud muttered solemnly. _Cloud…_

He looked up at Vincent as he continued. "Vincent…what do you know about all this?"

"I come here often," Vincent began, looking up from the ground. "I've seen what Kadaj's group is doing," he continued as he walked towards us. Reaching down he grabbed Cloud's infected arm with his gold-clawed hand, causing Cloud's face to twist in pain. "The stigma. It's a symptom of alien matter infesting the body. The body tries to eliminate it and overcompensates," Vincent continued, standing up and finally releasing Cloud's arm. Cloud dropped his arm with the materia-filled gauntlet, breathing a bit harder than before. I touched his arm gently, glaring at Vincent as he walked away a bit. "Inside our bodies is a current, like the Lifestream. That current is what fights off any malevolent intruders." I looked at Cloud's arm.

"What do you mean by 'intruder'?," I asked in a low voice.

"The Sephiroth gene. Jenova's memetic legacy. Call it what you want." Cloud moved his right arm, setting it on his knee.

"You're well informed," he commented.

"Tseng and Elena. They were brought here half-dead. They must have been brutally tortured. I did what I could to save them, but…well, we'll see."

I looked over at Vincent. "Tortured?"

Vincent looked to me as he spoke. "They had it coming. They got their hands on Jenova's head." I looked back at Cloud in alarm; he was clearly thinking the same thing I was because he wore the same worried look I had.

"Then when Kadaj says he's looking for 'Mother'…" Cloud trailed off.

"Heaven's dark harbinger. The calamity, Jenova. If they wanted to, they could recreate Sephiroth." Cloud and I both looked down.

"Kadaj…what is he?," I questioned.

"Huh, I'd rather not know," Vincent stated.

It was quiet for a moment before we all turned at the sound of the bushes rustling near to where we were. Cloud picked up his sword once more; Vincent held up his gun; I reached for my pistol, ready to draw it if necessary.

After a few seconds a small figure rushed out from the bushes, running to me and hugging me tightly. I blinked as she looked up at me. "Marlene! You're alright," I said in relief, reaching down and hugging her back. After I released her she looked back up at me.

"Christina! Cloud! D-Denzel, and Tifa…!," she stammered nervously.

"Tifa's alright," I reassured her. She looked over at Cloud.

"I wanna talk to her," she demanded. Cloud reached for his cell phone, frowning when he discovered it missing.

"It must have fallen off during your fight with Kadaj," I mused thoughtfully. Marlene looked up at me expectantly; I shook my head. "Sorry kiddo, I left my cell phone at home," I apologized. She looked to Vincent.

"May I…?" He looked at her for a second before raising his cape. "You don't have a phone?!," she stated, shocked. Vincent blinked before dropping his cloak, slightly embarrassed. I covered my mouth with my hand to stifle a giggle. Cloud walked over to me and placed a hand on my shoulder.

"Vincent, will you bring Marlene and Christina back to Seventh Heaven? I'm gonna go see Shinra and get some answers," Cloud asked; I blinked, thoroughly shocked, as did Marlene.

"I can't do that," Vincent stated, shaking his head firmly.

"But I-…" Cloud trailed off. Marlene and I shared a look, and she stepped away from me.

"Forget it Cloud! Why don't you ever pay any attention to us?," she demanded, turning and running towards Vincent, who covered her in his cloak, hiding her face. Cloud stood speechless for a moment before speaking again, gently removing his hand from my shoulder.

"Marlene, please give me some time. There's a battle to be fought…but it's not as simple as just fighting it. Understand?"

"No, I don't!," she shouted, sounding upset.

"Cloud, are you sure this is about fighting?," Vincent questioned. Cloud looked down after a moment and looked away.

"Go…," he uttered quietly. I looked back at him. He walked forward a couple of steps. "I have to talk to Rufus."

I don't know why, but I found myself suddenly enraged. _There is no way I'm letting this go on anymore…I've got to stop this…, _I thought, balling my fists at my sides before I spoke.

"Stop running!," I exclaimed. Cloud looked at me with slightly widened eyes as I continued. "I know what you're thinking. 'Even if we find the kids we might not be able to help them.' 'Maybe something will happen that can never unhappen.' That scares you doesn't it? But you need to think about now, I mean really take it in." I stormed over to stand in front of him, staring into his surprised face as I continued. "Look at you, you think you've got it so damn hard!," I stated, stomping a foot in frustration. "Well I know you hate being alone, so let people in. Sure, I know you don't always answer the phone but I don't see you throwing it away either!" I looked down as he looked away, then I looked back at him. "Which is it, Cloud…a memory?...or us?"

Cloud didn't answer at first; after a second everything was white again, Aerith once again standing back to back with Cloud. "But…I let you die." Aerith sighed heavily.

_Dilly-dally, shilly-shally. Isn't time you did the forgiving?_

The pure white place disappeared once more; Cloud looked up slightly. "Are sins…ever forgiven?," he asked, looking at Vincent.

"I've never tried," Vincent answered.

"You mean…..never tried," he repeated, looking back down a bit in thought. He looked back up at me. "Marlene, Christina, let's go," he stated, never taking his gaze off me. Marlene moved Vincent's cloak away, smiling and nodding as she ran towards us, taking my hand. "Well, I'm gonna try," he continued, determination ringing true in his voice, "I'll phone in the verdict," he finished, making a phone gesture by his head as we started to walk off.

I looked over at Cloud as we walked. _Maybe what I said finally got through to him…I sure hope so... _Marlene looked up at me as I looked back at her; she smiled knowingly at me, moving her gaze to Cloud. My eyes widened as she looked back at me. _No way…can she see what I'm thinking or what? This little girl is amazingly perceptive, _I thought as I smiled back at her.

After she looked away she yawned, rubbing her eyes tiredly. "I'm sleepy…," she muttered. Cloud stopped and picked her up slowly.

"We've all had a long night; get some sleep, okay kid?," he told her, starting to walk once again. She yawned once more then closed her eyes, falling asleep almost instantly.

I looked down at her as we walked looking around for Fenrir. I smiled at her. "She's a tough kid, isn't she?" Cloud nodded.

"Tougher than half the adults I know." I laughed.

"Yeah. I admire her for that though." Cloud chuckled lightly, a slight smile spreading across his face.

"You're pretty tough yourself." I stopped in my tracks, blinking after him. _Holy high hell…did Cloud Strife say I was tough…?, _I wondered, watching him set Marlene down before turning to stand his motorbike upright. I blushed lightly. _Damn man…you always know what to say to me, don't you… _He looked over at me as he picked Marlene back up. "You okay? You look kinda spaced out," he asked, chuckling as I shook my head vigorously.

"No no I'm fine, don't worry about me." I bounded over to him. "We should get going." He nodded, then turned back to the bike and got on. I scrambled on behind him. He started the engine, positioning Marlene so she wouldn't fall as we rode, then looked over his shoulder at me, a serious yet unreadable look in his eyes. "W-what's wrong, Cloud?," I asked nervously.

He looked forward once more before answering. "I'm not sure how to say this, but…..," he sighed, shaking his head, then he continued. "…Thanks. For snapping me out of it I mean." I blushed again but smiled brightly.

"Nah, it was nothing. You needed it anyway." He laughed lightly, shaking his head again as he revved up the engine and took off.

"Yeah, maybe I did need that…but I think…I needed…" The last part he said was so quiet it was inaudible over the roar of Fenrir's engine.

"What did you say, Cloud?," I asked loudly. He shook his head again.

"It's nothing, really." I craned my head, trying to get a look at his face, then sat back, looking away as I leaned against him.

_Was it just me?…Was he really blushing…?_

* * *

A few hours later we arrived back in Edge. The city was unusually loud as we arrived at Seventh Heaven, pulling up to it and walking inside. I made my way upstairs and into my room as Cloud brought Marlene to her room. I immediately headed for the drawer in my nightstand table; yanking it open I pulled out four more clips of ammunition for my 9mm pistol, stuffing two into my belt and the other two into my right boot for safekeeping. I knew I was taking a lot but I also knew I was most likely going to need it.

"Tifa and Reno aren't here; they must have went to investigate that noisy crowd across town," Cloud said from the doorway. After reloading my last clip and loading the clip into the gun, I slid it back into its holster, turning back to Cloud.

"We had better go help them," I stated firmly. He nodded slowly, starting to head out the door with me not far behind him.

We got about halfway down the stairs when Cloud stopped in his tracks unexpectedly, his hand still resting on the handrail. I stopped as well. "What's wrong Cloud?"

"…Could you…you could hear her too when she spoke…couldn't you?," he asked hesitantly. I blinked for a few seconds before I realized who he meant.

"…yes," I said after a few moments. He sighed.

"I know now…that I couldn't have prevented her from dying. But still…I can't help…" He sighed again. "I can't help feeling like…" He turned back towards me to look into my face. "Can I ask you something?" I blinked once before nodding slowly.

"Sure, Cloud…you can ask me anything," I told him. He took a deep breath and let it out loudly before speaking.

"Do you…did you ever blame me for her death?" My eyes widened, shocked. _I never thought he'd ever ask me that…_ I didn't have to think about my answer for a second though; I knew a long time ago, long before I had actually met him, what the answer to that question was.

"I've never blamed you for her death. Never. Not once." His eyes widened a bit and he looked down as I continued. "Cloud, you went after her. You tried to save her. That's all that matters. I blamed Sephiroth, and Hojo…but NEVER did I blame you." He blinked as he looked back up at me.

"…Really? You're serious?" I laughed a bit and smiled.

"Of course. I've never once blamed you, Cloud." He looked at me for a long moment, then shook his head, chuckling lightly in almost disbelief.

"You…really are something…," Cloud stated, then he did something I totally unexpected.

He crossed the distance between us and put his arms around me, pulling me into a hug.

I blinked as I blushed furiously, my gaze turning to Cloud. "Cloud…?" He shook his head, pulling me closer.

"It's alright," he said simply. I couldn't help but relax in his arms; I closed my eyes, wrapping my arms around him as well and placing my hands on his back. He sighed lightly. _He's so warm…_

"I'm sorry you didn't know that sooner Cloud…I've never blamed you for anything in your past. And I never will," I concluded. We stayed like that for a minute or so before he gently pulled me away, tucking a piece of my hair behind my ear. "Now, shall we go kick some Kadaj ass?," I offered with a smile. He laughed heartily.

"You never change do you." I laughed as well.

"Nope!," I told him, grinning. He turned and started down the stairs once more.

"Good," he said in a low voice, "cause I don't ever want you to change." I blushed a bit and smiled as I started down the stairs as well.

"Oh and Cloud?" He turned to me as he stopped at the front door to Seventh Heaven, one hand on the handle.

"Yeah?" I smiled broadly at him.

"I'll always believe in you Cloud. Don't forget that." He turned back to the door, clearing his throat lightly. I didn't even need to look at his face to know how red it was.

"Yeah…let's go." I nodded as he opened the door and walked through it; I followed not long after.

* * *

OMG, this was an emotionally exhausting chapter for me, haha. I think this was my favorite chapter yet, for obvious reasons. XD

Anyway, hope you enjoyed! Please leave a review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	8. Chapter 7:Battle At The Edge

Alright, finally I've gotten to the fight scene that takes place in Edge. FINALLY! It took me months to get here! So I won't keep you in suspense with a long author's note; let's just jump in.

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Seven: Battle At The Edge**

* * *

As we drove through Edge, people were running away from the monument in the center of town. They seemed to be running for their lives in a panic. "Something really bad must be going on," I yelled to Cloud. I saw him nod.

"It must be Kadaj and his lackeys," Cloud concluded, revving the bike to go faster as we entered the center of town. Just as we entered, a HUGE monster fired a large ball of energy ahead of us. I looked over to where it was heading to see Tifa in midair. She moved quickly to avoid the blast; it narrowly missed her and hit the scaffolding behind her. The scaffolding creaked and started breaking and falling to the ground. My eyes widened as I saw that someone was underneath where it going to fall.

Denzel.

"Cloud!," I shouted, pointing ahead of us. He opened the sides of Fenrir, pulling a sword out and, after taking aim, threw the sword at the scaffolding. He revved the motorbike to go faster.

The sword cut through the metal scaffolding, making a path for us to get to Denzel. Just as we got to him I grabbed his outstretched hand, pulling him onto the bike behind me. Cloud caught his sword, tossing it and catching it by the handle and swinging it at the scaffolding falling in front of us. It was cut to ribbons and we rode away from the wreckage without a scratch.

Tifa ran over to us as we stopped. I helped Denzel off the bike and he ran over to Tifa. "You okay?," she asked him; he nodded fervently. Tifa looked at me then at Cloud, nodding as she did so. "Marlene?," she asked me.

"Marlene will be safe; we took her home," I informed her, smiling broadly. She smiled back at me as well.

"Thanks. You two okay?" I nodded; she looked over at Cloud after nodding back at me. I looked over at Cloud as well; he was pulling another sword out of the bike, putting it in his back holster.

"I feel lighter," Cloud said. I blinked. "Maybe I just lost some weight…," he glanced at me as he spoke again, "…All that dilly-dallying." I stared in disbelief at him for a moment before I looked at Tifa. She looked at me, her eyebrows raised, then she smiled knowingly at me. I blinked and looked away, my face reddening slightly. Tifa giggled lightly at me.

"I'm gonna back and go see Marlene okay? We'll wait for you. Cloud, Christina," Denzel informed us, starting to head away from us, "we'll see you there, won't you?" Cloud looked back at me, and we both smiled and nodded. Denzel nodded, grinning as well.

Tifa placed a hand on my shoulder. "Be careful out there." I nodded at Tifa.

"We will." I smiled at her as Cloud swung a leg over the motorbike; I hopped on behind him and he revved the engine, turning the handlebars and heading in the direction of the huge monster that was attacking Edge.

I watched Barret, Yuffie, Cid, Nanaki, and Vincent battle with the huge creature as we rode through Edge. Every one of them was doing everything they could to keep the monster at bay, but none of their attacks even seemed to hurt it. Cloud stopped the motorbike and pulled out his other sword, looking back at me for a second; I nodded at him and he jumped up into the buildings above us. I pulled out my pistol and began quickly jumping up the scaffolding, taking out numerous Shadow Creepers as I did so.

As I made my way through near the top of the building, I watched as Cloud started to attack the huge monster, one sword in each hand. He kept striking the monster but it wasn't getting through its tough skin. Eventually the creature grabbed one of his swords in its mouth. After yanking it out of its mouth he jumped, and flipping he landed on one of the scaffolding beams, putting the two swords together into one and taking a battle stance as the monster roared loudly, coming towards him again.

I started up the scaffolding again, eventually reaching a huge tower that seemed to be the highest place in Edge. I looked down to where Cloud was; he had just struck the creature and it went crashing into the ground, part of its metallic face cracking as it slowly righted itself. I doubled my speed, knowing I had to get to the top as fast as I possibly could, though I had no idea why.

_What…is this feeling telling me to go up the tower? Could it be…_

As I reached the top, I ran to the ledge of the scaffolding and looked down. Suddenly the huge creature flew up and past me; I had to grab onto the edge just to make sure I didn't get blown off by the force. I looked up and watched the dragon-like monster fly higher and higher.

_Get ready,_ a voice in my head echoed. I tilted my head to the side in curiosity but I stood up to the edge anyway, looking down. Suddenly I saw Cloud getting help from each of his friends to reach the creature as it went higher. _Now!_, the voice called again, and I obeyed, jumping over the edge and grabbing Cloud's hand as he approached. He looked at my face for a brief moment. "Don't mess this up Spikey," I told him jokingly as I used all of my power that I had to throw Cloud as high as I could. He launched even higher into the air towards the creature, which had begun to build up energy in its jaws.

I flipped a couple of times before landing on the scaffolding not far above the others and catching my balance, then looked up towards Cloud and the dragon-thing.

I saw Cloud speeding towards the creature at break-neck speed, surrounded in the same blue flame that I had seen from his limit attacks, his sword at the ready. The creature suddenly let his energy burst fly, sending it directly towards Cloud. My eyes widened at the sight; I wasn't entirely sure if Cloud could survive a powerful attack like that head-on.

_No…it can't end here… _I squeezed my eyes tightly before opening them to watch once again as Cloud collided with the energy blast, disappearing inside it. _Aerith…please if you can hear me…_

Sure enough I heard Aerith say, _Ready?_

Not two seconds later Cloud reappeared on the other side of the energy blast, swinging his sword and stabbing the creature in the head, then ran along the monster's back, carving his sword into it and jumping away with a yell as it fell to its demise, encased in blue flame.

About ten seconds later Cloud flipped a couple of times before landing beside me. I looked at him wide-eyed and grinned broadly at him as he straightened. He grinned back at me as well.

"That was impressive," I stated happily.

"You'd be surprised," he replied, winking at me. I couldn't help but laugh; it just made him grin more.

Suddenly we both heard a loud yell, followed by a glowing light and an explosion. Quickly, we turned to the left to see Kadaj and Lindsey standing on an unfinished building; he had just blasted a part of the building causing the explosion…and I quickly noticed that he had knocked someone off the edge. Cloud and I both looked at each other and jumped down from where we were, sprinting for the motorcycle the second we landed.

_That was Rufus he knocked off the edge, I'm sure of it, _I thought as we jumped on Fenrir and Cloud started it up immediately, his brakes squealing as we took off towards where we had seen Kadaj.

As soon as I got a good view, I tapped Cloud quickly on the shoulder and pointed at Rufus and Kadaj, who were both plummeting off the building, Rufus firing a gun at him as they did so. Kadaj seemed to be reaching out for something as he fell; quickly I squinted and saw a small black box.

Not two seconds after I spotted the thing one of Rufus's bullets hit the box, splitting a hole in it and sending stuff flying out. _Ew…what the hell is in that thing, _I thought disgustedly as Kadaj finally managed to grab the box, flipping and landing on the ground right after he did so. Cloud revved the motorbike to go faster as Kadaj and Lindsey jumped on his motorbike and sped off, trying to get away. _Oh no you sons of bitches…you're not getting away that easily, _I thought as I pulled my pistol out, pushing another full clip into it and flipping off the safety as we went onto the ramp that led up to the main highway into the ruins of Midgar.

* * *

Man, for a while there I wasn't sure if I was gonna be able to get all those details correct. Thank god for movies on DVD and Blu-ray, haha.

Please leave a review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	9. Chapter 8:Crazy Motorcycles

Man, that last chapter was insane…but hold onto your pocky my dear readers because this chapter has even MORE action.

Let's mosey! XD

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Eight: Crazy Motorcycles**

* * *

Just after we got onto the highway we both had to duck as the 'Do Not Enter' sign flew over our heads. I lifted my head to look up just as Cloud lifted his; suddenly Yazoo pulled up beside us and matched our pace, his gunblade firmly in hand. He fired several shots at us; Cloud swerved and braked slightly to avoid the shots but we hit the guard wall causing us to shake slightly. I shook my head to get the feeling of the impact to go away as I started firing at Yazoo, trying to knock the gunblade out of his hands.

Loz then slowed down to match our pace, slamming his bike against Fenrir and making the bike grind against the wall. He readied his weapon, then after a brief moment he swung at us, hitting the motorcycle and causing the sword storage to fly open. Loz then hit the wall slightly and he disappeared behind us.

Cloud took this opportunity to pull a sword out from the bike; a very good thing because Yazoo threw his brakes, spinning into a 180 and sliding sideways on the road toward us as he fired at us. I fired back at Yazoo; Cloud blocked Yazoo's shots with his sword and they ricocheted off the metal. He quickly revved the engine and caught up to Yazoo, trying to stab him with the sword he held. Yazoo blocked the attack with his gunblade, sending sparks flying everywhere. We spun around twice and Yazoo laughed; Cloud pushed his sword away from Yazoo's gunblade and spun the bike around once more, turning us back in the direction of Midgar and Kadaj.

As Cloud revved the engine to go faster, Loz pulled up beside us once again, this time jumping and striking downwards with his weapon. It hit the bike causing us to swerve heavily. I grabbed onto Cloud as the bike leaned sideways slightly. We were riding backwards for a second before Cloud spun the bike around again.

As we neared the middle of the bridge, I looked up to the on-ramp to the right of us to see Kadaj and Lindsey glaring down at us as we rode. I stared at them for a second more before I saw Cloud look behind us, causing me to look behind us as well.

Yazoo was right behind us, laughing as he pressed a button on his bike, causing the bike to fire heavy rounds at us. Cloud swerved and we both ducked slightly to avoid getting shot, me firing more shots at him as we did so. Suddenly I heard louder shots coming from behind us; I looked back around to see a helicopter firing at Yazoo and Loz. _That could only be Reno and Rude, _I concluded, turning my attention back in front of me.

My eyes widened considerably as I saw the helicopter come around and fly in front of us, still firing. Cloud revved the engine once more and passed by the helicopter. I saw Rude leaning out of the helicopter with a rocket launcher in hand as we rode past. I looked behind us once more to see the rocket flying; it missed Yazoo and Loz and hit the road instead, causing the road to buckle sideways and break apart, dust and concrete flying everywhere.

I turned my attention to in front of me once more, but not more than ten seconds later I saw what appeared to be the remains of a helicopter, flying towards the road in front of us at high speed. "Shit! Hang on!," I heard Cloud yell; I hastily obeyed as he swerved heavily to the left, managing to dodge the explosion. I breathed a quick sigh of relief as we entered the tunnel.

"RENO! RUDE! YOU SONS OF BITCHES ALMOST KILLED US! BE MORE CAREFUL!," I yelled behind us, slightly pissed but relieved that it hadn't landed on us. My relief didn't last long unfortunately; I heard Yazoo's and Loz's motorcycles not far behind us as Cloud revved the engine once again.

I looked over to our left to see Loz riding up onto the tunnel wall and up towards the ceiling. I fired at him as he circled over us; one of the shots grazed his shoulder but he remained unfazed. Suddenly he dropped off of his motorbike and down towards us; Cloud barely managed to block his attack with his sword as the bike spun out slightly.

With a grunt Cloud threw Loz backwards and away from us; Loz landed safely on his motorcycle before jumping back into the air once more. Cloud stood up on the bike as Yazoo pulled in front of us again, firing multiple shots in a row at us; Cloud batted each of them away with his sword.

Cloud raised his swords to strike at Yazoo as we got closer to him, and Yazoo fired two more shots at Cloud; Cloud quickly blocked with the sword in his right hand. The bike spun around once more as I fired at Yazoo again, this time nailing him in the shoulder. Just like Loz, Yazoo seemed unaffected by it, smirking heavily. Cloud swung again at Yazoo; Yazoo parried with his gunblade and their weapons locked as they clashed.

The bike spun around dangerously, letting me catch a glimpse of Loz.

And I watched in horrified amazement as Loz caught his motorbike between his legs, dug his weapon into the ground, and then spun on his weapon as he threw the whole bike at us. "Cloud!," I yelled, trying to alert him to what was coming. He looked past Yazoo to see the bike flying at us; his eyes widened a bit. Yazoo quickly pushed back away from Cloud, chuckling once before ducking to avoid the bike.

Cloud got to his feet and stood on top of Fenrir, and two seconds later I watched in awe as Cloud jumped off of Fenrir, readied his sword, and turning in the air he brought his sword down on the bike, chopping it clean in two. My eyes widened. _Holy shit…I can't believe I just saw that…that was totally badass…_

Loz jumped at Cloud after he chopped the bike in half; Cloud parried and threw Loz backwards, into the bike that he had just cleaved in two. "Christina, shoot it! Do it now!," Cloud shouted. I didn't hesitate as I steadied my pistol, aiming for the gas tank on the broken bike and firing once.

The shot was dead on; I saw Loz look up slightly as the bike exploded in his face. _HA! Take THAT and shove it!, _I thought victoriously. I revved Fenrir slightly to catch up to Cloud; Cloud landed on the bike safely.

Not five seconds later Cloud pushed me backwards, causing me to fall flat on my back and laying against Fenrir as suddenly I saw Loz fly over me, realizing that Cloud had seen him and had pushed me down so Loz's attack wouldn't connect with me. Loz delivered an uppercut to Cloud, nailing him in the gut with his left hand, causing Cloud to grunt loudly as he flew up off the bike from the impact. Cloud regained his balance in midair as Loz launched himself at Cloud once more, dropkicking Cloud and sending him flying. Loz moved with superhuman speed as he moved to reappear next to Cloud again, punching him, then doing the same over again and throwing Cloud back down towards me and the bike.

Suddenly Yazoo jumped in front of Cloud, firing two shots at him; Cloud blocked with his sword once more. I fired another shot at Yazoo; it hit him in the leg but he paid it no mind, jumping at Cloud and attacking as Loz locked weapons with Cloud. "Cloud, behind you!," I yelled in warning.

Cloud glanced back over his shoulder in my direction to see Yazoo flying towards him. He pushed Loz away from him; Loz quickly doubled back towards Cloud as Yazoo did the same. With quick thinking Cloud took apart the sword he was holding, one of the now two swords flying up into the air. It spun around and Cloud caught it in his outstretched hand as they both flew towards him. Cloud parried both of their attacks as their weapons all clashed.

They hovered in midair for a second before Cloud turned suddenly, and he swung his two swords in a helicopter-like fashion, hitting both Yazoo's and Loz's weapons and making them fly backwards. Loz's weapon fell off his arm and exploded as he flew back, yelling as he managed to land on Yazoo's bike.

Yazoo flew back in my direction; I took the opportunity to draw my blade and jumped towards him, finishing what Cloud started and chopping his gunblade in half, landing back on Fenrir gracefully. Sheathing my sword I reached forward and revved the engine to catch up to where Cloud was; Cloud landed safely in front of me. I looked back at Yazoo and Loz as Cloud took hold of the controls once again. "HA! Got you you bastards!," I yelled triumphantly, pulling out another clip and loading my gun. I heard Cloud laugh as he sped the motorbike up to try and catch up to Kadaj

We finally exited the tunnel and headed back onto the highway, where I noticed two very familiar figures standing on the road as we rode past them. I looked back and saw Reno and Rude standing on the highway, a helicopter not far from them. My eyes widened when I noticed both of them holding what appeared to be bombs. _What the hell? What are they planning?_, I thought as I looked forward once more.

About a half minute later I heard a huge explosion behind us; the shockwave from the blast made the bike beneath us swerve slightly. I looked behind us as Cloud straightened the motorcycle, seeing a huge plume of smoke and what looked like fireworks. _What the hell did Reno and Rude put in those things?! _

"You may wanna hold on tight!," I heard Cloud yell over the explosion; he revved the engine as much as he could and my eyes widened.

"Oh no, you're not doing what I think you're—"

"Uh-huh, 'fraid so…hold on!," Cloud shouted again, revving the engine even more. I threw my arms around Cloud tightly as he drove the motorcycle clean off the side of the highway, using the side wall as a ramp and causing us to fly up into the air. _Holy freakin' hell!, _I thought as I watched us launch through the air, trying my best not to scream like bloody murder.

I chanced a look down to see Kadaj and Lindsey riding below us; Cloud readied his sword as we started to literally fall down towards them. I saw Kadaj unsheathe his sword just as Cloud was close enough to strike, parrying Cloud's attack at the last second. We landed sideways on the road as their weapons locked, and I looked in front of us to see that we were quickly running out of highway.

_Bloody freakin' hell, _I thought, cringing inwardly as we flew over the edge of the unfinished highway. I gripped onto Cloud tightly as he grabbed the controls to try and steady the bike before we landed on the wall around what was left of Midgar, sliding dangerously down the side of it. I looked ahead of us; Kadaj and Lindsey had landed safely.

Cloud gripped his sword tighter as we approached them; as soon as he got close he thrust his sword at Kadaj's head, missing his target by just centimeters and past his shoulder instead. Kadaj also jabbed his sword at Cloud, who leaned to the right slightly, causing Kadaj's sword to cut through his left sleeve but leaving him unharmed. Kadaj's sword barely missed my face; I breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly Kadaj pushed away, spinning out and causing us to swerve and slide sideways as he rode off. We eventually skidded to a stop after Cloud applied the brakes and killed the engine, both of us watching as Kadaj and Lindsey rode towards Midgar.

Cloud panted for a brief second before he opened the sides of the bike, sheathing his sword inside it and closing it. I let out the breath I hadn't realized I had been holding.

"…You okay, Christina?," Cloud asked, slightly out of breath. I shook my head.

"Yeah, though that ride was a bit nerveracking to say the least…are you alright Cloud?," I asked him, putting a hand on his shoulder and pointing at his sleeved arm as he looked back at me. He looked down at it and stared for a second.

Slowly he reached up and tore the sleeve off his left arm. My eyes widened as I looked down at his now bare arm. Which was stained with the mark of Geostigma from right below his elbow to right below his shoulder. I gently placed a hand on his left arm. "Oh Cloud…..," I breathed sadly. He shook his head.

"I'm alright, don't worry about me. Besides," he looked back at me over his shoulder, "I'll be a lot better after we stop them, trust me," he concluded, cracking a slight smile. I grinned at him.

"Sounds good to me. Let's go." He nodded then turned forward and started the engine, revving the bike and driving us to the direction Kadaj and Lindsey had gone in.

The church in the Sector Five Slums.

* * *

*falls down after writing this chapter* Holy crap on a cracker that took forever to type out! I love writing actions scenes but they can be so tedious with the details. I just hope I did a good job with it lol. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter!

In the next chapter, they finally catch up to Kadaj and Lindsey! And chaos ensues! Muahahaha lol.

Please leave a review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	10. Chapter 9:Grievances and Enemies

Holy cow…I can't believe I've gotten this far in this story! It's almost unreal at how much I've done on this story alone.

And as promised, we finally see a confrontation between Cloud/Christina and Kadaj/Lindsey! Hope you guys like it!

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Nine: Grievances and Enemies**

* * *

We arrived outside the church to hear Kadaj screaming loudly. He almost sounded as if he were in pain. Cloud and I exchanged a look before he revved up the bike, pulling it up off the ground and wheelie-ing through the door of the church.

Kadaj revved his motorcycle as we burst through the door; I saw Lindsey shoot off a ball of energy into one of the pillars of the church, causing it to fall down as we rode through. Kadaj jumped his bike onto the pillar, riding up on it and through the hole in the church roof. Cloud quickly revved the engine of Fenrir and grabbed my hand, pulling me down to duck my head and ducking his head as well. The pillar narrowly missed both of us as we rode beneath and past it as it fell.

Cloud slammed on the brakes, causing the bike to skid and slide through the flowers. As we came to a stop I looked up at Kadaj and Lindsey, who were up on the rafters of the church. Kadaj gathered a glowing energy into his left hand, then swung his arm back and let the attack fly, sending it straight towards us. It landed just below Fenrir's front tire, causing the bike to flip backwards and throw us both off. We both crashed heavily to the floor; I felt my head spin a bit. _Owww…that wasn't fun, _I thought painfully, dust filling my vision slightly. I felt one of Cloud's hands grab my shoulder.

"You alright?!," he asked quickly, sounding like he was in pain.

"I'm fine," I answered back, following his hand to him and helping him stand. He gripped his left arm as he grimaced in pain, looking back up at Kadaj and shoving me behind him to try and protect me. I looked up at Kadaj as well; he was laughing as he charged up his next attack. _No, this can't be…this can't be happening…we HAVE to stop Kadaj… _I thought, looking down at the ruined flower bed. _Aerith…Zack…please! We need your help! _

Suddenly I saw a green water-like spring come up from the floor of the church. My eyes widened as I pulled at Cloud's shoulder, pointing at what was happening. _Is that…could that be…_

…_Lifestream?_

We both stared as the water formed a pillar, then spreading like an umbrella it rained down on all of us, causing Kadaj to start swatting the water away, like it was hurting him. _It must be affecting the Jenova cells…_

I looked up at the water, feeling the cool refreshing-ness of it as it fell on my skin. I looked over at Cloud, who was holding a hand out at the water as if it were rain. I noticed the stigma on Cloud's arm start to glow lightly as the water fell on it.

And not five seconds later did Cloud look down at his arm in amazement, as did I…

Because the water had cured Cloud's Geostigma.

I heard Kadaj rev his motorbike and ride off, trying to get away from the water.

I slowly walked up to Cloud; he looked at me and back down at his arm.

"It's…it's gone…," I said, slightly stunned. I placed a hand where his stigma had been moments before. He looked back up at me.

"It's really gone…," he murmured, amazed. We stared at each other for a moment, starting to laugh slightly in wondrous shock. I suddenly grinned and spun around in the water downpour, laughing.

"I can't believe it! Your stigma's gone!" I gasped slightly and stopped spinning as I came to a realization, looking back to Cloud. "You know what this means? We found the cure! Finally!" His eyes widened as he realized I was right, and he nodded.

"Yeah, but…there's one more thing we need to take care of," he said in a serious tone. My grin disappeared and I nodded back firmly.

"…Yeah, you're right. We'd better go after them," I agreed, walking back up to him. He pulled Fenrir from the wreckage it was buried under, setting the bike upright and dusting it off before swinging a leg over it. I climbed on behind him as he started the engine.

_Let's go you two!,_ I heard Aerith say.

_Yeah! You guys have some butt to kick!,_ Zack added enthusiastically. I shook my head and chuckled at them as Cloud revved the motor and drove us away from the church, towards the old Shinra headquarters building.

* * *

We arrived at the wreckage of the old Shinra building around ten minutes later. Cloud pulled the bike to a stop and got off, pulling two swords out from his bike. I got off as well and reloaded my pistol, clicked the safety off, and unsheathed my sword. I was sure I was about to need both of them.

"Brother!," I heard a voice call; it was Kadaj. We both looked towards him. Lindsey was standing to his left. He was holding a black box in one hand; I recognized it as the box that he had when we were chasing him in Edge. "I'm with her at last," he continued.

"So what's gonna happen now," Cloud asked. Kadaj looked down fondly at the box he was holding, smiling and chuckling slightly.

"Mother's going to tell me." Cloud and I exchanged a look before we looked back at Kadaj. I scoffed at him.

"I guess a Remnant wouldn't really know," Cloud commented dryly. Kadaj looked straight at Cloud, a controlled anger quickly filling his eyes.

"…So what if I'm a puppet…?," he said, clenching his left fist as energy began gathering there. "Once upon a time…," he continued, raising his hand above his shoulder; Cloud visibly tensed, preparing for the attack, "…you were too!" He brought down his hand, sending the energy scattering into a bunch of directions before it redirected to our direction. Cloud and I both jumped separate ways to avoid it.

Cloud jumped at Kadaj, forcing Kadaj to unsheathe his sword to block. I jumped to my right to avoid the blast, and right as I landed Lindsey jumped at me, sword in hand. I quickly parried with my own, looking back over at Cloud and Kadaj, who were jumping and exchanging blows over and over. I shifted my attention back to Lindsey, who was trying to push her sword down to strike me.

I leaned forward slightly, causing her to lean back to try and keep me from pushing through her defense. I glared at her before noticing her eyes, causing my own to widen with surprise.

"You're infected with the Jenova thing, just like the kids were, aren't you?," I questioned. She grit her teeth and growled before answering.

"Yeah, and so what? It made me stronger! Thanks to that I can take you down now, just like Kadaj wants!," she yelled, pulling her blade free and swiping at me. I jumped back to avoid her sword, landing a few feet behind me. I straightened up, putting my pistol back in its holster.

"What Kadaj wants? What the hell happened to what you wanted? I know why you went after him in the first place! I remember what you told me that day!" She charged at me before jumping up and bringing her sword down on me; I quickly blocked with my own again, the force of her attack making my wrists shake a bit.

"You don't know what you're talking about! Kadaj loves me!" I shook my head.

"You idiot! He's just using you!," I shouted, pushing her back and flinging her against the building; she landed against the wall with a crash. She groaned but slowly got back up; charging the materia she was using and firing a spell at me. I quickly dodged by cartwheeling and jumping to the left, then using the momentum from my jump I brought my sword down on hers. She blocked but she hadn't blocked properly and her wrists buckled underneath the force. I swung my blade down then back up, knocking her sword clean out of her hands and sending it flying, it landing safely sheathed in the rubble behind me.

I held the point of my sword at her as she collapsed to her knees, knowing that the battle was mine. She grunted in disappointment, looking away. "Aren't you going to kill me?," she questioned in a harsh voice. "Why are you hesitating? Do it already!," she yelled. I moved my sword, bringing it over my head and holding the hilt with two hands. She didn't look at me but at Kadaj as I stood there before her. After a moment she shut her eyes, and I brought my sword down with a yell…

Only to hit the ground in front of her.

She shook in fear for a second before she opened her eyes, staring up at me with a puzzled look. I brought my sword back to my side. "But…why?," she questioned. I shook my head.

"Go home, Lindsey." Her eyes widened before she glared at me.

"Why should I listen to you?!" I looked away, rolling my shoulder lightly. _She's not going to want to hear this but…I've got to make her leave. This is the only way this is going to end without me killing my best friend…_

"Because I just spared your life. You're my friend, regardless of whether Kadaj was controlling you or not. And I'm not going to kill you. Not now, at least that's for sure." I sighed. "I know though…I probably will end up being the one to have to kill you. Eventually. You do have Jenova's memetic legacy in you now after all." I squatted down, still on my feet. "But you're not ready to die yet and I'm not ready to kill you yet. So go home. That's the least I can do for you. I did drag you into this whole mess to begin with." She laughed harshly.

"You know I'll probably come back and try to kill you. Especially if Cloud kills Kadaj. " I straightened, looking away once more.

"Yeah I know. And if Kadaj kills Cloud then I'll come after you both. And we both know that. At least try to live a normal life before it happens. I'll never have the life I once had and I know that. I'm perfectly fine with that, actually," I stated truthfully, looking to where Cloud and Kadaj were fighting. "But that doesn't mean you have to be. I'm giving you the chance to have what I won't ever have again. So go." She stepped back a couple of steps. I looked back over at her and smiled. "Who knows, you may find the true guy of your dreams and end up real happy. Let's hope so, shall we?"

She glared at me, then turned, walking over a bit and hopping off the building rubble we were standing on, jumping her way away from our battle site. I sighed heavily, sheathing my sword and wiping my watery eyes slightly. _She'll never be the same again…but I can at least give her the chance to try. She was my best friend…it's the only thing I can do for her anymore, _I thought sadly. Shaking my head, I turned towards where I could hear Cloud and Kadaj fighting, running in that direction.

_I can't worry about the choice Lindsey will make now. She's not the Lindsey I knew anymore._

* * *

As I made my way to where Cloud and Kadaj were fighting, I saw Cid's airship, the Shera, fly up to the battle site. I held my hair in place as the wind from the airship kicked up dust. I pulled out my cell phone and dialed Tifa, who I was sure had to be in the airship.

"Christina?," I heard Tifa say on the other end as she picked up.

"Yeah, I'm down here to your right, " I informed her, waving at the airship as I did so.

"Are you alright?, " she asked. I nodded.

"I'm fine Tifa don't worry." Suddenly I heard voices in the background.

"So the punk's gonna become Sephiroth," I heard Cid say.

"Christina…does Cloud know? About Kadaj?"

"One would think," I heard Vincent answer her question.

"Whaaat?! I don't get it, why can't we help out?," Yuffie's voice rang out loudly in the background.

"Some of the men don't get it either," Barret grumbled. I sighed.

"Tifa, put me on speaker phone, please?" I heard a slight beep sound on Tifa's end.

"Alright, you're good to go."

"Hey, you guys hear me?," I asked.

"Yeah, we hear you! I wanna help out too!," Yuffie called loudly.

"Yeah, the materia thief's right, we should get down there and help," Barret said. I shook my head.

"Two years ago," I began, "Think of the strength you all had when you fought that last battle." Everyone on the other side of the line fell silent. "It's only been a couple of years, but already that feeling is gone for you guys. But Cloud…I think he's found it again."

Tifa agreed after a moment, "…You're right Christina. You're absolutely right. It's his fight now."

I heard Barret 'hmph' on the other end of the line. "You guys got ten minutes."

"That Cloud's a royal pain in the ass. Like always," Yuffie stated, annoyed. That just made me grin.

"Well, Cloud is Cloud," I stated with a smile as I hung up the phone. I watched as Cloud landed back onto one of the building remnants in front of me. He turned and smiled slightly at me before turning his attention back to Kadaj.

Kadaj and Cloud jumped at one another over and over again, each time their swords clashing loudly, until Cloud locked swords with him as they clashed once again atop another dilapidated building. Just as their swords locked, Cloud swung a second sword at Kadaj, who narrowly avoided it by blocking with his right hand, which held the black box. They both glared at it for a second before he pushed Cloud back and jumped backwards; Cloud used the momentum and flipped once before landing back on the building.

They both stood still for a moment before Kadaj jumped into the air above Cloud; Cloud flipped the sword in his hand backwards, taking it and combining it with his other sword, spinning that one above his head. It began to glow with the blue limit flame that I had seen him use before.

Kadaj brought his sword down upon Cloud with a yell, but Cloud blocked with a single swing of his sword, sending Kadaj flying over the edge of the building they were fighting on. I quickly jumped my way over to get a better view of where he had landed; he was barely holding on to a window ledge on one of the buildings, his sword long fallen to the ground below.

Cloud landed on the ledge above Kadaj; Kadaj glared coldly at him before chucking the black box at Cloud. Not knowing what it was, Cloud smacked the box away with his sword, breaking it open.

And a group of Jenova cells spilled out of it.

Quickly Kadaj grabbed the ledge he was hanging onto with his other hand, launching himself into the air and towards the box of Jenova cells. Cloud and I could only watch with horror as we realized exactly what was happening.

Kadaj looked back up at Cloud. "My Reunion…Bet you're dying to watch…," he said creepily as he fell through the air. Cloud jumped after him to try and stop him but it was too late; Kadaj took the cells and forcibly absorbed them into his chest, crying out as he did so. He suddenly fell silent as he landed on the rubble of the building below, his head bowed down as Cloud plummeted towards him. He held his hands up as Cloud approached…

And suddenly, with a flash Kadaj was gone, and in his place was a face that was WAY too familiar to me…long silver hair, and an extremely long sword, which was blocking Cloud from hitting him as he looked up, opening his eyes. I know Cloud's eyes widened in shock, because mine did as well, for the exact same reason.

…My fears were confirmed as I heard an eerily familiar voice.

"Good to see you, Cloud."

_No, no no, no no no no…this is NOT happening… _

But even as I thought that, I knew it was true.

Sephiroth had finally returned.

* * *

DUN DUN DUNNNNNN! SEPHY HAS RISEN FROM THE GRAVE!

…I know, total shock right? Not lol ^^

In the next chapter, the Final Battle! Cloud vs. Sephiroth! I am totally excited to write the next chapter. XD

Hope you guys enjoyed! Please leave a review!

-Catalyna Christopher


	11. Chapter 10:The Final Battle

Wow…it just hit me that this may be the second- or third-to-last chapter for this story. I've been working so hard on it I didn't realize how much I had gotten done! It makes me a bit sad that I will have to see this story end, but who knows…I may end up making a sequel to this.

Well anyway, here's the next chapter! Hope you guys enjoy!

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Ten: The Final Battle**

* * *

"Good to see you, Cloud." My eyes widened as I realized the voice belonged to the one and only Sephiroth. Sephiroth threw Cloud backwards, before hitting him with his sword and making Cloud fly upwards, eventually catching his balance and landing on a building. Sephiroth landed on the building opposite him. Cloud took a battle stance as he stared still slightly disbelieving at Sephiroth. "Your Geostigma is gone? That's too bad," Sephiroth said in that same menacing voice.

"Sephiroth! What do you want," Cloud asked harshly.

"The last thoughts of Geostigma's dead. Those Remnants will join the Lifestream and girdle the planet…choking it, corroding it. What I want, Cloud," he stated, "is to sail the darkness of the cosmos with this planet as my vessel…," he continued, raising his right hand above his head as he did so, "…just as my mother did long ago."

As he opened his palm to the sky, dark gray clouds started to gather above Midgar, turning the sky dark and obscuring the sun from view. I jumped down to a lower building just to be safe as Sephiroth spoke again. "Then one day we'll find a new planet, and on its soil we'll create a shining future."

"What about this planet?," Cloud asked, his temper rising.

"Well, that's up to you, Cloud," he retorted smugly, before snapping his right arm back down to his side and charging at Cloud. Cloud swung his own sword at him, their swords clashing loudly.

I looked up at the sky as what looked like dark streams of energy started coming down from the sky. Suddenly my head was hit with a wave of pain. I gripped my forehead tightly as it passed. _What is that stuff…could it be…the Jenova-infected Lifestream? _ Shaking my head, I jumped to get to a better position to see what was happening and to make sure Cloud was alright.

Spotting them clashing and jumping from place to place as they fought, I couldn't help but remember Cloud's words to me when we left the church to go after Kadaj…

***flashback***

"_No matter what happens…you have to promise me that you won't jump into my fight with Kadaj…or god forbid that bastard Sephiroth." I looked at the back of Cloud's head as we rode._

"_Not even if you're in trouble…?," I questioned. He suddenly stopped the bike, turning and looking directly at me, a worried look in his eyes._

"_Especially_ _if I'm in trouble. The last thing I ever want to do is get you killed. Especially if you do so because you're trying to protect me. Please, Christina," he begged, grabbing onto my shoulders, "you HAVE to promise me that. Please." I didn't want to agree to that…but I knew if I DID end up breaking that promise, I wouldn't have been able to stop myself anyway. _

_Because the one thing I could never do is let Cloud Strife die without trying to help him…_

"_A-alright Cloud, I promise…I won't." _

_***end flashback***_

I was snapped from my thoughts by Cloud suddenly yelling out in pain. I looked over to see Cloud flying, eventually hitting and going through one of the buildings, crashing into the inside of it. I winced horribly, _oh god, I hope he's alright…, _as I watched Sephiroth follow him into the building. I jumped to a building closer to that one to get a better look.

I watched as Sephiroth attacked him, swinging his sword; Cloud parried with his own, sending the blue flame sparks everywhere. Again and again the same thing happened, their swords clashed over and over, sending sparks flying through the building, unfortunately those being my only way of seeing what was happening.

I watched as they locked swords again, sending more blue flame sparks flying. "Where did you find this strength?," Sephiroth asked mockingly.

"I'm not about to tell you!," Cloud shouted, pushing on his sword and sending Sephiroth flying for once. I saw Sephiroth fly through the roof of the building, disappearing from my view. Cloud jumped up through the hole to the roof and landed there.

Not two seconds later a piece of rubble from one of the buildings started falling towards Cloud; he jumped forward to avoid it. Suddenly Sephiroth came from the right, trying to ambush Cloud from behind. Cloud stepped back, forced to parry with his own sword as Sephiroth swung his at Cloud. Cloud jumped up to avoid the sword, flipping and bringing his own sword down at Sephiroth with a yell; Sephiroth dodged it easily. Sephiroth was lucky though; I looked down where Cloud's sword had struck the ground to see three huge cracks in the ground.

Suddenly a huge piece of building (obviously hacked off by Sephiroth) flew at Cloud at high speed; Cloud jumped far away to avoid it. Sephiroth followed and attacked him in midair, slashing at Cloud over and over again, forcing Cloud to parry every one of his attacks without having an opening to counterattack.

As Cloud landed on the building below him to catch his balance, Sephiroth came at him again, slashing and trying to cut Cloud down; Cloud managed to block every one of his attacks, throwing Sephiroth away from him once more. Sephiroth regained his balance like it was nothing, turning and looking back at Cloud as he jumped to try and go after Sephiroth.

"I've thought of a wonderful present for you," Sephiroth mocked in a condescending tone, turning back around and slicing a piece of the building away, making it fall towards Cloud. Cloud cleaved the thing clean in two, following after him. They clashed once again in front of the Shinra building, their swords locking once again. "Shall I give you despair?," he suggested coldly, slashing upwards and knocking Cloud off balance, sending him flying.

Cloud recovered quickly, spinning in midair and stabbing his sword into the building, standing on it to gain a vertical base as he looked upwards. I looked up from Cloud's position to see Sephiroth hovering near the top of the building. "On your knees, I want you to beg for forgiveness," he spat harshly at Cloud as the top part of the building began to crumble and fall.

Sephiroth turned back to the falling pieces of building, slashing them in the middle and causing them to break apart slightly. I looked back down at Cloud to see him step on the handle of his sword, splitting his sword in two and stabbing the second sword into the building as well. Cloud then grabbed the handles of both swords, flipping in the air twice and pulling his swords free.

Cloud started slicing and dicing the building pieces as they came at him one by one, before Sephiroth appeared from the dusty rubble to attack Cloud again. Cloud parried his attack, once again sending sparks flying. Unfortunately I couldn't see much aside from the occasional flash of a sword being swung for a few moments, but the fight was getting even more intense, that much I could tell.

Suddenly I saw Cloud jump up, slashing another huge chunk of building in two before jumping up to the top of the building, putting his swords together into one again as he did so. I quickly hopped and jumped up to the top of the building as well, trying to stay out of sight as I did so. _I know if Sephiroth sees me he'll come after me…so I have to stay hidden. Cloud's having a hard enough time as it is without having to worry about protecting me._

When I made it up to the top of the building, Cloud had collapsed for a brief moment; I could quickly tell that this fight was taking its toll on him. _Sephiroth is one tough son of a bitch…, _I thought, much to my disdain.

Cloud didn't get much of a breather as Sephiroth jumped up to the top as well, trying to cut him in two as he brought his sword down; quickly Cloud pushed himself out of harm's way. Sephiroth slashed at him again and again, each time Cloud's parrying getting a bit more fatigued.

_Oh Cloud…please, hang in there!_

Cloud swung his sword at him once more, trying to land a blow, but Sephiroth parried once again, this time pushing him back and knocking him over slightly with his shoulder. Cloud quickly rolled and made it back to his feet, only to be knocked over once again by the hilt of Sephiroth's sword. He kept coming at Cloud, each time Cloud just barely parrying before Sephiroth swung his sword upwards; Cloud moved his head back and dodged, but Sephiroth kicked him in the gut, causing him to double over in pain. Sephiroth took that opportunity to throw Cloud backwards, sending him spiraling into the wall. Cloud cried out in pain.

_No…Cloud get up! Please!_

A few seconds later I saw the dust fly away from where Cloud was, my eyes widening a bit as Cloud stood up and took a battle stance, his entire body and sword glowing with blue flame. Sephiroth charged at him with a grunt of slight frustration. With a running leap Cloud attacked him, slashing and trying to land a blow. Sephiroth parried every one, eventually knocking Cloud back slightly. Cloud got up again quickly, jumping higher and trying to dive attack Sephiroth. Sephiroth 'hmph'-ed slightly in annoyance, then brought his sword up, impaling Cloud straight through the chest. My hands immediately flew to my mouth, trying my best to hold in a scream.

"Is this the pain you felt before, Cloud?," Sephiroth asked him as Cloud tried to jump away but failed to do so, groaning in pain. "Let me remind you. This time you won't forget," he concluded, a black wing coming out from his back before he threw Cloud off of the sword and into the air. _No! Cloud!, _I thought helplessly, my promise to Cloud the only thing holding me back from running to help him.

Cloud blocked the first two but the rest of the slashes cut Cloud open and bleeding in various places. Cloud grunted loudly in pain as Sephiroth's sword went straight through his foot, catching the sword with his left hand. I winced considerably. Sephiroth threw Cloud to the ground, his impact making a crater on the building's roof.

_CLOUD!, _I screamed internally, every fiber of my being telling me to stay where I was for my own safety, but my heart practically tearing out of my chest telling me to help him. My hands were clenched tightly over my mouth but I was screaming into my hand, tears starting to come into my eyes. Cloud was barely moving.

_Cloud…Cloud no you can't…you can't die…you just can't…_

Cloud barely managed to make it to his feet, staggering significantly and dripping with blood as he leaned on his sword, panting harshly. _Oh god…there's so much blood where he landed…oh my god… _I felt the first tears starting to pour out of my eyes.

"Tell me what you cherish most," Sephiroth told him. "Give me the pleasure of taking it away," he continued, grasping his sword and going to attack Cloud.

_NO! PLEASE! _

I shut my eyes tightly, my whole body shaking, not wanting to think about what was about to happen. _No! It can't happen, Cloud just CAN'T die! Please, someone…! Someone has to help him…!_

_Aerith! Zack! Help him! PLEASE!_

...

…Suddenly I felt a pair of gentle hands on my shoulders.

I opened my eyes to see that the environment had gone pure white. I looked in front of me to see a very familiar head of black spiky hair, who was standing back to back with Cloud.

_Zack…? _

_So what if it seems hopeless? If it were me, I still wouldn't give up,_ Zack said encouragingly.

_Don't worry,_ another voice told me. I looked to my left to see Aerith, who was the one who had her hands on my shoulders. She smiled and nodded at me, _You believe in Cloud don't you?_ I nodded instantly without thinking. Her smile broadened a bit. _Then you have nothing to worry about. Trust me,_ she said, directing me to look back at Cloud, _if you believe in him then he can do anything. Your belief in him has kept him going since the day he met you. That's not gonna change now, don't you think?_ I looked back at Aerith; she nodded again. I looked back at Cloud as Zack spoke again.

_Embrace your dreams. And no matter what happens protect your honor as SOLDIER._ Zack chuckled slightly. _Well, okay, you never made SOLDIER. But it's what's in here that counts, _Zack continued, pointing to his heart,_ and I know that you've got a lot of people that believe in you in there. One of which without I wouldn't be here to help you._ I chuckled a bit.

"You're right. As long as I believe in Cloud…I know he can do anything. Even if it looks hopeless. I'll never give up on him." I smiled with determination.

"Zack?," Cloud asked.

_Well,_ Zack replied, _You need a hand with him?_ After a brief second Cloud shook his head no. _You're darn right you don't, you Chocobo-head. You've got this._ Cloud slowly made his way back to his feet, gripping his sword once more. _You already beat him once, didn't you? This should be a cinch!_

"Yeah," Cloud agreed, picking up his sword in a battle stance and standing up fully. Zack turned to me and grinned broadly; I laughed slightly.

_I'll always believe in him. And I know without a doubt now; not even Sephiroth can beat that._

The white world, and Zack and Aerith, vanished as Cloud jumped up at Sephiroth, swinging at him. Sephiroth dodged, jumping higher and using part of the building to boost himself as he did so. Cloud did the same, holding his sword over his shoulder as he spoke.

"I pity you. You just don't get it all," he said, raising his sword and holding it beside him before lifting it over his head.

"There's not a thing I don't cherish!," he yelled loudly.

Cloud spun his sword around above his head three times, a blue flame surrounding it before bringing it downwards where it clanged against Sephiroth's sword as he parried. Suddenly all five of the other swords released out of the one Cloud was holding, forming a circle around them, and he jumped to one of them, a blue flame surrounding his form. He quickly grabbed the sword, practically teleporting back and slashing Sephiroth with it. Cloud then quickly teleported once again, grabbing another sword and cutting Sephiroth with this one as well, then teleported to another one, and another, hitting Sephiroth with each one in turn. He was going so fast that I could barely keep up with my eyes; Sephiroth looked back and forth trying to figure out where Cloud would strike from next, but Cloud was too fast for him to keep up. Eventually he grabbed the last sword and attacked multiple times with that one, the last blow being when he slashed through Sephiroth, landing on the ground below, his swords landing in a circle around him. He caught the last one in his right hand, looking up at the fading Sephiroth as he did so.

"Stay where you belong, in my memories," Cloud stated firmly. Sephiroth looked down at him as the sky cleared, the dark gray clouds dissipating.

"I will…never be a memory," Sephiroth responded, before his black wing wrapped around him. He dropped back to the ground, Kadaj appearing in his place, looking heavily hurt but still holding a weapon. I ran out from where I was, pulling my pistol out and aiming at Kadaj, ready to fire if he attacked Cloud. Cloud took another fighting stance as he stared at Kadaj warily.

Kadaj tried to charge at him with a yell, but dropped his sword from his lack of strength, falling over as he did so. Cloud caught him as I ran over, putting him down gently as we kneeled beside him. "Brother…," he called out weakly. Cloud and I exchanged a look; there was no way Kadaj was going to live through this. I instantly thought of Lindsey and how this would affect her when she found out.

_Kadaj…?,_ I heard Aerith's voice call gently. Suddenly a raindrop fell on Kadaj's face. I looked up; it had begun to rain lightly. _You don't have to hang on any longer._

"Mother…is that…?," Kadaj said quietly.

_Everyone's waiting, if you're ready,_ Aerith told him; I saw Aerith reach out a hand to Kadaj as he nodded slowly, tears coming out of his eyes as he looked honestly happy for once. She took his hand and slowly pulled him upwards, and as he disappeared into the Lifestream his body became glitter-like specks of light, floating upwards and disappearing into the rain. Cloud and I stood up and watched as he disappeared, the rain falling all around us.

After a few moments Cloud looked back down and at me. I looked at him and grinned slightly. "Guess you finally did it, Spikey," I joked. He chuckled slightly. My grin disappeared as I teared up slightly. His eyes widened a bit with concern.

"Hey, hey you okay?," he asked me lightly. I squeezed my eyes tightly closed for a second before I jumped at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and hugging him close. The force from my impact made us spin a bit but he regained his balance.

"Holy chocobos you scared the hell out of me…," I mumbled, part of my voice being muffled from burying my face in his shoulder. He stood there awkwardly for a second before he relaxed, placing his arms around me and hugging me back. "…don't you ever do that again Strife, you hear me…" I sniffled a bit. He placed a hand on the back of my head, pulling me closer.

"…it's alright. I couldn't have survived without you anyway." I chuckled a bit, smiling lightly.

"Of course. You can't do anything without me, can you?" He laughed lightly.

"Never."

I'm not sure how long we stayed embracing in the rain that day. It was one of the most peaceful moments of my life. And I know I'll never forget it.

Unfortunately…I also know I'll never forget how it was cut short in a single instant.

Suddenly Cloud shoved me to the left side, shouting "MOVE!" as he pushed me as hard as he could. I fell to the ground as I heard a gunshot ring out.

I quickly picked my head up from the ground and looked back up at Cloud…

…To see him on one knee, panting heavily.

Because of a gunshot wound from a bullet that had passed straight through his chest.

…_Oh my god…no…_

"CLOUD!"

* * *

OMG! Bet you guys didn't expect a cliffhanger, did you? ;)

Yeah, I know, I'm evil. XD I didn't like doing that, (I hate that part in the movie; it always makes me cry Xp) but I had to keep up the suspense somehow.

Do you guys think I'll really kill Cloud? I honestly want to know what you guys think! But don't worry, you guys will find out soon, I promise!

Till then my lovelies, leave a review! It makes me write faster lol (j/k ^^)

-Catalyna Christopher


	12. Chapter 11:Of Loved Ones And Smiles

Welllllllcome back my lovelies! Hope you guys don't hate me too much for the cliffhanger in the last chapter *hides behind Cloud*

But hang in there, dear readers! Your answers are coming! So let's get to them!

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Chapter Eleven: Of Loved Ones and Smiles**

* * *

I felt like time slowed down for me as I watched Cloud breathe heavily after being shot in the chest. It felt unreal. It didn't feel like reality at all.

I just couldn't believe it.

Cloud had seen that I was about to get shot and he pushed me out of the way…only to take the bullet himself…

I'd never felt so low and miserable in my life.

Cloud Strife, who I came to meet…and eventually fall in love with…

Just took a freakin _gunshot_ for me.

And he was probably going to die because of it.

…

_THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING!_

Cloud groaned loudly as he tried to stand up, staggering as he did so. I pushed myself off the ground and bounded over to him as fast as my feet would carry me.

He reached out a hand to me, placing it on my shoulder as I ran over to him, leaning heavily on me. I placed a hand on his chest to try and steady him. I felt myself start to cry when I felt blood under my hand.

"Darn it," I heard a voice say; it came from the direction of the gunshot. I quickly looked over, my eyes widening as I saw who had pulled the trigger.

Lindsey was standing there, a gunblade in her hand and an aggravated look on her face.

"YOU?! YOU did this?!," I stated hysterically. She looked away slightly.

"Well, I was intending to hit you, but I guess I should have counted on him to protect you at the last second," she informed in an uncaring voice, gesturing at Cloud with the gunblade as she did so. "I was trying to punish him for killing someone I loved by taking away somebody he loves. Too bad though, guess you're the one getting punished now, Christina." I growled menacingly at her, gritting my teeth together.

"I can't believe you! You've gone completely off the deep end!," I shouted, tears streaming down my face. "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Cloud suddenly grabbed my other shoulder, using his grip to pull himself up to his feet, staggering a bit. I grabbed at his arm, trying not to let him fall. He looked at her as she spoke again.

"This is a surprise! I'm astonished he's even on his feet! You're more resilient than I thought you were, Cloud. Guess this means," she stated, raising her left arm which was filled with materia that glowed brightly as she charged up her magic; Cloud grabbed the hilt of his sword, "that I'll have to finish her off like this!" Cloud pulled his sword out of the ground as she charged up her magic more, a huge energy ball gathering in her left palm. He took an attack stance before looking at me for a brief moment, an unreadable look in his eyes. I blinked slightly.

"…Go," he told me.

Then he ran at Lindsey, sword dragging the ground for a few seconds before he jumped at her, yelling as he brought his sword over his head to attack her. She released her magic as Cloud brought down his sword, resulting in a huge explosion that threw me backwards; I flew off the edge of the building.

_Cloud…please…please don't die…, _I thought as I fell into unconsciousness.

* * *

When I opened my eyes again I found myself on Cid's airship, Tifa and Yuffie looking down at me. "Hey, she's awake!," Yuffie stated, relieved. Tifa sighed in relief.

"Christina? Can you hear us?," Tifa asked lightly. I nodded in response; she smiled.

"Owwww," I groaned as I sat up, holding my head in my hand as I did so. I pulled my hand away from my head; amazingly there was no blood on it. I had gotten very lucky. "What…what happened…?" Tifa sighed.

"We found you unconscious near the ruined Shinra building." I moved my hand, blinking at her. She had a sad look plastered on her face; suddenly everything was wrong as I noticed who wasn't there.

"Cloud…? Where is Cloud?," I asked. Yuffie hung her head sadly; Tifa looked away. I got up from the bed I was on, kneeling on it as I grabbed Tifa by the shoulders. "Where is he? Where is he, Tifa?!," I demanded, shaking her shoulders. She looked away, closing her eyes.

"He was in that explosion on top of the Shinra building…we don't know where he is," she informed me slowly. I released her shoulders in shock, before looking down as tears quickly filled my eyes. _Oh my god…oh my god…no…this is not happening…Cloud is NOT dead…he just can't be dead…, _I thought, quickly shaking my head and shutting my eyes.

"No…..no this isn't happening…he's not dead, he's not!" Tifa crossed quickly over to me; I placed my hands over my ears, shaking my head and collapsing to my knees in denial. Tifa reached out to me, but hesitated, unsure what to do or say. "He's not…he's not dead! HE CAN'T BE DEAD!," I screamed, sobbing loudly.

_Oh Cloud please…you can't be dead…you just can't…-_

Suddenly I heard a voice in my head, laughing slightly.

_Are you giving up on him that easily?_

I looked up at the ceiling, suddenly quiet. Tifa and Yuffie looked at me with surprise.

"Zack…?," I murmured quietly. The voice chuckled again.

_The one and only!_ I blinked.

_Do you mean…is Cloud…-_

_Yeah, he was hurt pretty bad…but…_ I blinked once more, rising to my feet.

_But he's alive?! _Zack laughed.

_Why don't you come to the church and find out?_ My eyes widened; suddenly I turned and headed out of the room, Tifa and Yuffie following after me.

"Hey, what's going on?," Yuffie offered curiously. I turned back to look at her and Tifa.

"Where's the cockpit?" Tifa blinked confusedly at me.

"We'll show you, but…why?" I grabbed her shoulder.

"Then show me! We've gotta get to the church! Now!" Tifa's eyes widened.

"The church…?- The church! Of course!," she exclaimed, nodding in understanding. She ran ahead of me; I quickly followed behind her.

Yuffie just stood there dumbstruck and confused as she looked after us.

"That girl is just weird sometimes."

* * *

As soon as the airship landed I jumped off, running straight for the church as fast as my legs could possibly go. _Cloud…please…please be there, _I thought worriedly as I reached the front entrance, pushing the door open and running inside.

Suddenly as I ran in everything around me turned white. I stopped in my tracks, looking around.

My eyes widened when I found who I was looking for.

Zack and Aerith were standing there, looking down at someone. I took a couple of steps forward before I took off running toward them, realizing that the person lying there was Cloud, unconscious.

They looked at me as I came to a stop near them; Aerith smiled warmly at me. _You made it._ I shook my head quickly, looking down at Cloud. My knees buckled when I saw how injured he was, the tears filling my eyes once more. _It'll be alright,_ Aerith informed me. I looked up at her before looking back at Cloud.

"Is…is he…?" Zack laughed.

_It'll take much more than that to kill Chocobo-head over here._ Aerith kneeled down beside me, smiling at me once more and placing a hand on Cloud's forehead.

"…Mother?," Cloud murmured quietly.

_Again?,_ Aerith asked, a joking tone in her voice. _Why is everyone calling me their mother lately?_ Zack chuckled. She moved her hand away from Cloud.

_I guess they must be fond of you._ Aerith looked at me.

_This one's a little too big to adopt,_ she stated, smiling once again. I blinked at her, wiping my eyes. _Does that mean…? _I felt Zack's hand on my shoulder as he kneeled down, turning to Cloud.

_Tough luck, friend. Sounds like…you don't have a place here._ My eyes widened as the Lifestream disappeared before my eyes, leaving me standing in the church. I blinked as I looked over at the pool of water in the center of the church.

Cloud was lying in the water, his eyes closed as the kids, who I recognized from Edge, held him in the water, his injuries disappearing as if they had never been there in the first place. I ran over to the edge of the water, standing there as everyone else ran into the building.

"Yo, what are we doing here?," Barret's loud voice broke through the silence of the church.

"Because this is where she said he'd be," Tifa answered as the whole gang walked over, coming to stand behind me and beside me. Denzel and Marlene were with them. Denzel tugged on my shirt slightly.

"Is he okay?" I nodded as I looked down at Denzel.

"Just give it a minute," I informed him before looking back to Cloud, who was starting to regain consciousness. My eyes widened as he slowly opened his eyes, looking around and standing up in the water.

"It's like she said: wait here and Cloud will come back," one of the children, a little girl with her hair in pigtails, said to Cloud. He looked at her with a surprised look.

"Welcome back!," Marlene chirped happily. Cloud looked over to where we were all standing.

He nodded slowly. "…I'm back." Red XIII came to stand in front of us, looking at Denzel then back at Cloud.

"There are still some children with the stigma," he said in his strange voice. Cloud nodded once more.

"Yeah," he said, nodding as he walked over to us. Tifa kneeled by Denzel, placing a hand gently on his shoulder as I looked down at him.

"Hey, let's get you fixed up," Tifa stated gently. Denzel looked a bit worried; he looked at Tifa then back at Cloud, who nodded. He looked up at me; I nodded at him as well. Cloud held out a hand to him.

"It's okay, I'm here," he reassured Denzel. Denzel walked forward a bit; Cloud reached up and picked Denzel up, placing him on his feet gently in the water and standing in front of him.

Slowly Cloud cupped his hands in the water, bringing up the water in his hands and raising it above Denzel's head before letting it fall on him. Denzel reacted a bit, wiping the water from his face. He noticed as he looked down his reflection in the water.

And the stigma was gone from his forehead.

Denzel looked back up at Cloud after a moment of surprise. Cloud just nodded once before Denzel turned around to look at us, laughing lightly.

Everybody cheered as they realized that we had the cure for the stigma. Several of the kids jumped into the water, surrounding and talking at Cloud excitedly. He spun around slowly, looking at the kids in turn before looking back up at all of us. It took a few moments before his eyes locked with mine. I blushed lightly before crossing my arms and smiling slyly at him. _I've never been so happy to see him in my life, I swear…_

He looked away from me after a few moments, his face slightly embarrassed. Tifa nudged me in the ribs. I looked back at her. "What…?," I murmured quietly at her. She smiled at me.

"You'll thank me for this later." I blinked, about to ask her why I was going to thank her before both her and Marlene pushed me into the water. _Sonofva…!, _I cursed inwardly as I landed face first in the water. It was warm and not that deep but that didn't stop me from thrashing a bit as I went under.

...I HATED going underwater when it wasn't my choice.

Suddenly I felt someone grab my hand, pulling me back up to the surface of the water and helping me to stand up. Cloud chuckled as he held my shoulder to steady me. I looked up at him and glared. "What?," he asked innocently.

"…this is all your fault Strife," I muttered, squeezing my shirt to get the water out.

"Sorry…," he said apologetically. I glared at him before I grinned.

"It's okay…," I replied, "cause now it's payback time!" And with that I jumped and threw my arms around Cloud's neck, hugging him and getting him soaked as well.

"Ahhh…dammit now I'm all wet too…thanks," he replied sarcastically. I released him, sticking my tongue out at him.

"You're welcome!" He chuckled lightly at me before he raised his gaze, and he froze suddenly. I blinked, then followed his gaze, turning around and looking at the doorway of the church.

Where Zack and Aerith were, Aerith talking to one of the orphans and Zack leaning against the doorway, grinning.

Aerith stood back up fully, turning and walking towards the door after doing so. We both followed her movements as she turned back around, smiling calmly at Cloud and I.

_You see? Everything's alright,_ she stated happily.

Aerith turned back and continued walking through the doorway. Zack waved at us as he turned and followed her. They both eventually disappeared back into the whiteness of the Lifestream as they walked away.

Cloud and I shared a look before looking back to where they were.

For the first time I heard Cloud's voice echo through my head, smiling as I did and knowing that Cloud was smiling—fully and truly smiling finally— as I did.

_I know. _

_I'm not alone._

_Not anymore._

* * *

*collapses from emotional exhaustion* Holy hell. Usually I have more trouble with action scenes than anything, but damn…this chapter just took it out of me emotionally. Writing like Cloud had actually died just killed me. XD I swear I can't watch that last scene in the actual movie without crying after writing this. ^.^

So many emotions poured into this chapter; I hope you guys enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.

But this is not the end! There will be an epilogue! And a sequel!

After all, what's a fanfiction without a little romance, eh? Lol

Please leave a review! The epilogue will be up shortly!

-Catalyna Christopher


	13. Chapter 12:Epilogue:About Damn Time

Whew! I can't believe it! The Epilogue to Unclouded! I finally got here after years of being unable to write. Finally! I can hardly believe it!

I'm not going to leave a huge author's note here; let's just get to the story. I hope you guys enjoy!

**Unclouded, Sequel to Unarmed**

**Epilogue: About Damn Time**

* * *

I smiled and waved at the last of the kids as they left the church, fully cured of their stigma at last. Sighing happily, I sat on the edge and dangled my boot-covered feet in the water.

"Hey, Christina, you coming back with us?," Reno asked me as he and Tifa walked over to me, Reno's arm around Tifa's shoulder. I shook my head.

"Nah, I'm gonna hang here for a while," I replied, smiling at them before looking back at the water, kicking my right foot slightly.

"Hey, but-," Reno began, but he cut off suddenly; I looked up at them with a curious look to see Tifa shushing Reno. I tilted my head.

"Something wrong?" Tifa looked back at me, holding her hands up in surrender and smiling lightly.

"N-no! Of course not!," she said nervously. I blinked twice at her before shrugging.

"If you say so. Have fun at the celebration you guys," I said, smiling back at them and waving; they waved back as they turned to leave the church. I turned my gaze back to the water after they walked off.

"…You're not going?," Cloud asked as he came to stand beside me. I shook my head.

"Nah, I'm good; I'm not a fan of huge parties anyway." Cloud chuckled slightly.

"You and me both." He moved to sit down beside me, one arm resting on his knee as he looked at the water.

"Feels a bit strange for it to be all over, doesn't it?," I observed, looking around at the church. Cloud nodded.

"It does, but I don't mind it much. Besides," he continued, turning his gaze to me, "it's not completely over yet." I returned his gaze, my eyebrows raised in curiosity.

"What do you mean?," I asked honestly.

"Don't you remember? Your friend DID try to kill you, after all." My eyes widened.

"…You think she's alive?" He shook his head and looked away.

"I'm not sure, but…it wouldn't surprise me. To be honest I'm kind of expecting it." I looked down.

"So I guess…I really will have to kill her after all." Cloud looked back at me.

"You may not have to. You don't know that for sure." I raised my gaze to look at him again as I spoke.

"But, you know that…you know what happened to her…" He waved a dismissive hand at me.

"No use worrying about it now. Worry about it when the time comes. Until then, enjoy the victory we have now." He chuckled. "I think we earned that much." I laughed slightly.

"Since when did you become so philosophical, Strife?" His eyes narrowed a bit.

"Are you saying I'm not smart or something?" I blew a raspberry at him, laughing.

"I didn't say that, geez," I replied, grinning. "I'm just not used to the 'wise-ness of the Chocobo-Head', I suppose." His eyes widened a bit before he pushed me sideways slightly, grinning. "Heyyy, what was that for?" He looked away before glancing sideways at me.

"…For calling me Chocobo-Head." I just laughed.

"Should I call you Spikey then?" He crossed his arms across his chest and looked up, thinking about it with an amused expression for a moment before looking back at me.

"…I'll think about it." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Well I'm gonna call you Spikey anyway, Spikey. So get used to it." He laughed; I just grinned.

"Can't really argue with that." I looked at the water once more as he looked away. I swung my feet in the water a bit, not really sure what to say.

"…Cloud?," I asked after a few moments.

"Mm? What is it?"

"I wanted to ask…um…" I trailed off, suddenly not sure what I wanted to ask him about. I heard him sigh.

"Wait, I know what this is about." I looked at him, surprised.

"You do?" He nodded once, looking away slightly.

"Yeah…about what Lindsey said…" My eyebrows rose once more.

"Huh?," I asked, confused. He sighed again.

"Lindsey said that…she said that I…" I blinked at him for a second, before the realization hit me.

"Ohhh…you mean when she said that she wanted to take away somebody you loved? And that that somebody was me? Yeah, I remember." I nodded as I looked away. "I mean, hell, Lindsey did say it, but she was half-crazed when she said it, so I didn't take it seriously." I laughed slightly, _No way was I crazy enough to believe that Cloud Strife loved me…I'm not delusional. _

Cloud looked away, "Oh…" I looked back at him; for some reason he wore a disappointed look.

"…You okay?" He blinked, shaking his head.

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," he replied, looking back at me. I smiled.

"Good." He nodded before looking back at the water once more; I did the same. A few minutes passed as we sat there quietly.

"…Can I ask you something?," Cloud began again, looking at me. I looked back up at him before I spoke.

"Of course, ask away." He looked away slightly as he spoke again.

"If I…" He sighed, struggling to find what to say, it seemed. "If Lindsey had been right…If what she said had been right…what would you say?" My eyes widened a bit; _why does he want to know that…?_ _I mean, she was absolutely crazy; there was no way she had been right…_

_ Cloud Strife? In love with me? _

_ Ha! A girl can dream. But a dream is all that would ever be…_

_ ..…Right?_

"Cloud…?" He looked back at me hesitatingly. Lindsey…..was she right…? Could she have been right?

"Umm…are you asking me…" He stood up, turning away from me and shaking his head.

"I know you. You're smart; I know you must have figured it out." He turned back to look at me. "Go on, ask me. I know you want to; I can see it in your eyes." I swallowed thickly. _There's no freakin' way…could it really…?_

_ I love him…I love Cloud Strife…_

…_I've loved him for as long as I can remember…_

…_he's always meant the world to me…_

…_but I honestly never thought…could it really be?_

"Cloud…? Are…are you…" I swallowed again before looking down, unable to say the words.

I heard him laugh slightly as he walked back over to me. He kneeled beside me and took my right hand in his. I looked back up at him, surprised. "Can't believe it? Yeah, I can understand that. There's no way I'd ever be good enough for you…" He looked away slightly for a moment before looking back at me. "But I'm gonna try. You do deserve the best." I blinked.

"Are you saying…?," I began but Cloud's chuckle cut me off.

"…Yeah, I'm saying that I'm in love with you, Christina."

My eyes widened significantly. I tried to think after hearing him say that but my brain suddenly felt short-circuited. _No flipping way…_

I tried to speak but all that came out was, "I…bu…bu…wh…I…really?" He laughed.

"Yes, really," he stated, still laughing slightly. "Honestly, I've been in love with you for a while now…I'm an idiot though. It took me almost losing you to make me see it." I blinked.

"…I…I can't believe it…" He chuckled.

"Told you." I was stunned beyond words.

"Wh…how long have you…" He looked away slightly before answering.

"Since before we came here to my world, at least. Hell, it may have been before that. But I know it's true." He looked back at me. "Sorry…I know I shouldn't throw my feelings onto you like this…especially knowing you don't feel the same…," he trailed off, looking down.

-_Wait, WHAT?!_

_ Did he just say I DON'T feel that way about him?!_

"Are you crazy?!" Cloud's eyes widened as he looked back up at me. "How can you say that?" He frowned slightly.

"What? That you don't feel the same way about me as I do about you? Of course I can say it…I know it's true…" He turned his gaze downward. "You don't have to be so mean about it though…" My eyes widened as I realized what he thought.

"No, no, that's not what I meant! I mean, that is what I meant but…" I sighed; he looked back at me as I continued. "What I meant was, how could you think that I don't feel the same way?" His eyes widened a bit.

"...What are you saying?" I took a deep breath.

_I can't believe I'm about to do this…_

_ I never honestly thought I'd ever tell him…_

_ But I guess…there's no reason for me to hide it anymore._

_ I love you so much, Cloud…_

I smiled broadly at him.

"I'm saying that…I love you too, Cloud," I concluded, reaching over to hug him.

"R-really?," he stammered slightly. I let go of him, leaning back slightly.

"Oh Cloud, if you only knew how much I mean it when I say that I love you." His jaw dropped slightly and stayed there for a few seconds before smiling slightly, his mouth still partway open.

"I-I...I can't believe it…" I leaned towards him slightly; he looked at me for a moment before I flicked him on the forehead. He blinked, reaching up to rub his forehead slightly.

"Believe it, Spikey." He grinned slightly.

"Are you ever going to just call me 'Cloud'?" I laughed.

"Maybe…Cloudo," I joked, blowing a raspberry at him. He raised his eyebrows. "What? It's how they say your name in Japan back home!" He chuckled.

"That's just weird." I stuck my tongue out at him.

"YOU're weird." He narrowed his eyes at me, a smile still on his face.

"Maybe, but you love me anyway." I grinned slightly.

"…Maybe I do." He chuckled, leaning closer to me and placing his forehead against mine. My grin disappeared and I blushed furiously.

"Maybe? Well maybe I love you too," he said, grinning lightly. I laughed.

"Really now, Strife?" He rolled his eyes, chuckling slightly.

"Again with the nicknames." I grinned broadly.

"You gotta earn the right for me to call you anything else, Spikey," I told him teasingly, winking as I did so.

"Ohhh…well…maybe I know how to earn that right…," he said lightly, gently moving closer to me. I was sure I was blushing even more than I already had been as he leaned his forehead against mine, chuckling as he stared at me. "Your face is all red…" I looked away slightly.

"…Maybe it is…what's it to you, Strife?," I joked, looking back at him. He looked away, his face turning slightly red as well.

"Well…I kinda…think it's cute…," he admitted quietly. I had to look away, blushing again as I did so.

"I never would've thought I'd hear you say that to me, Strife…" He looked back at me, surprised.

"Why would you think that?" He raised a hand to my cheek, caressing it lightly. "You're absolutely beautiful," he breathed lightly. My face reddened once more. I placed my hand over the one on my cheek.

"Cloud….." I trailed off as he leaned closer.

"…You finally said my name…," he murmured quietly, before he leaned in further, his lips mere millimeters from touching mine; I could feel his warm breath on my face. He hesitated for a second, almost as if he was waiting for permission.

"…Cloud…," I whispered lightly before he pressed his lips to mine.

My eyes closed on instinct as his lips caressed mine; I felt his thumb stroking my cheek lightly.

I couldn't think.

My mind went completely blank from the pure bliss I was feeling as I kissed him back.

…

I have no idea how much time passed before he pulled away.

I blinked, slightly dazed. He leaned his forehead against mine once more, his eyes closed. "…I can't tell you how long I've wanted to do that…," he murmured, smiling slightly as he opened his eyes to stare into mine. I chuckled lightly.

"I'd wait forever if it meant I'd get to feel that again," I answered truthfully. He blinked once before smiling again.

"…You don't have to wait forever," he joked, leaning back in and kissing me again. I smiled against his lips before he pulled back once more. He grinned.

"Oh Cloud…," I said breathlessly. His smile widened.

"I think I could get used to that." I laughed once, smiling and shaking my head.

"You have no idea." He laughed as he pulled me close, wrapping one arm around my waist and holding my head lightly with the other hand. I put my arms around him, burying my face in his shoulder. I heard him sigh slightly.

"I can't believe I didn't realize right away how lucky I was to have met you. You are the best thing to ever happen to me…I don't ever want to lose you. Ever," he murmured, his arms tightening around me. I laughed lightly.

"You'll never lose me Cloud…I'll always be here for you," I told him, pulling away slightly to look into his eyes. He threaded his fingers gently through my hair.

"And I swear I'll always protect you and I'll always be here for you. No matter what happens. I promise," he stated firmly, placing a hand on my cheek once more. I smiled.

"That's a lot to promise Strife." He smiled back at me.

"I'll keep that promise, trust me." I shook my head slightly.

"I've always trusted you; that won't ever change Cloud."

"I know that." His smile broadened a bit as he looked down, his fingers sliding through my hair once more before he reached for one of my hands, entwining his fingers with mine. "Your trust and belief in me has gotten me through so much…I'll never doubt your trust in me. It saved my life, after all." He chuckled before looking back up at me. I smiled warmly at him, squeezing his hand gently.

"Just like the way you saved me numerous times. I owe my life to you, Cloud. You mean everything to me." I closed my eyes. "When you almost died…when I thought you were dead…it just killed me…I-I just…-" Cloud cut me off as he placed a finger on my lips to silence me. I opened my eyes.

"It's alright. I'm right here." My eyes watered a bit, and I jumped into his arms, wrapping my arms around his neck tightly. He chuckled as he wrapped his arms around me, one hand in my hair. "It'll be okay." He pulled me away from him gently, looking directly in my eyes. "I'll always be here." I wiped my eyes, smiling broadly at him.

"Oh Cloud…I love you so much." He pulled me back to him, stroking my hair. He kissed the top of my head gently.

"I love you too Christina. And I always will."

* * *

AHHHHHHHHH! It's done! Finally! *collapses in relief*

I honestly can't believe it's done! This thing took me FOUR YEARS to finish, and now it's done…I feel truly accomplished for once lol.

As for Lindsey and what she's up to…well, you guys will have to read the sequel for that! Believe me, there was a LOT of foreshadowing for it in the last two chapters. What do you guys think will happen? (And as for Unarmed, I WILL finish it soon! Please be patient with me guys…it's so hard to rewrite after losing all my data…but I will do it for all you guys! I swear it!)

Look forward to the sequel soon! And please, leave a review and tell me what you guys thought of this story! I love you all, my lovely readers!

-Catalyna Christopher


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